NU cadre installed as member of Jakarta Information Commission

Jakarta, NU Online
One of NU cadres, H Muhammad Dawam Raharjo, who is also deputy treasurer of the Lajnah Ta'lif wan Nasr (Center for Authorship and Publication) of Nahdlatul Ulama was inaugurated as member of the long-awaited Jakarta Information Commission by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo at City Hall on Thursday, making it the 13th regional commission in Indonesia.

Dawam along with other four members such as Farhan Yunus Basyarahil, John Fresly, Siti Mariam and Yulianto Widirahardjo will serve a term between 2012–2016 and will start implementing the 2008 Public Information Law while handling information access disputes in Jakarta.

Prior to Thursday’s inauguration, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has been the only agency carrying out the tasks in the capital.

Fauzi said that the Jakarta Information Commission was essential for creating an administration that was transparent and accountable. “The public has the right to access the information and it is our priority to provide it.”

CIC chairman Abdul Rahman Ma’mun welcomed the Jakarta commission establishment although he considered it quite late. He was certain the Jakarta commission members would be able to do their jobs as mandated in the 2008 law.

Central Java formed the first regional commission on May 3, 2010.

Article 4 of the law categorizes information that can be made public as information on local agencies, which is issued periodically; information that must be issued because it endangers people’s livelihoods and public order; and information that has to be made available at all times, such as an agency’s ruling on an issue.

However, the law also exempts some information from being made public. The exemptions are information that obstructs law enforcement; hurts protection for intellectual property rights and protection from unhealthy business competition; threatens state security; endangers Indonesia’s natural resources; damages foreign relations and risks exposure of information of a personal nature.

Abdul said in the past two years the CIC had received dozens of reports from Jakartans demanding access to many pieces of information, ranging from government-provided school grants, local budgets to tender projects.

“Some of the reports originated because officials didn’t have proper knowledge on whether the requested information was restricted or not,” said.

He added that from now on, the CIC would proceed with the current complaints while the Jakarta Information Commission would handle new ones. (dar)