MEDIA MOVES
As we venture forth into the new year, a short recap of what worked and what remains unfinished in our region would be useful. One item of good news all around has to be the World Health Organization’s (WHO) pronouncement that the three-year Covid-19 pandemic has finally ended, bringing with it a return to normal and much-needed activities and enterprises. The sight of schools and universities welcoming back students, of markets and shops bustling once again and travelers crowding airports, bus and train stations, emitted a positive aura of optimism despite residual health and other social issues left in the wake of the pandemic. Financial and economic crises brought about by the distant Ukraine war loom over us, but that should not stop or delay rebuilding and restoring projects put on hold over the past three years. They will remain a priority for all of us.
We can’t avoid the never-ending quest for peace in Myanmar, followed by the struggle to sustain the democratization process in more liberal societies in the region, such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. The Philippines held relatively violent-free elections in which the scion of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, popularly known as ‘Bong Bong’ Marcos Jr was elected, to the shock of Filipinos who had fought in the so-called People’s Power uprising which ousted his late father in 1986. Malaysia also had national polls, elevating the long-waiting Anwar Ibrahim to the premiership, albeit in the face of opposition parties’ strong protest which required a royal intervention to break a days-long impasse obstructing the urgent formation of a new government.
Elections are also scheduled in Thailand this year, where the current government established by a 2014 military coup will be challenged by come-lately politicians like the daughter of exiled prime-minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Perhaps we are witnessing dynastic politics taking hold in our region, as the sons of leaders in Cambodia and Indonesia also vie to claim positions of power.
Sadly, the process of democratization, previously seen as exemplary in Indonesia and the Philippines, seems to be experiencing a setback. Some say, it is even regressing. The measure of this grim assessment can be seen in the obvious erosion of press freedoms experienced by journalists in those countries. Critical reporting today has become dangerous work as governments increasingly resort to defamation laws to suppress information under the guise of ‘threats to national security.’ According to UNESCO data, at least 160 countries still have criminal defamation laws on their books, suggesting governments are becoming increasingly encouraged to act unchallenged against dissenting voices.
The 2022 World Press Freedom Index found that the situation in Southeast Asia was ‘very serious’ in three countries and ‘difficult’ in seven more. It highlighted ‘a continued retreat of media freedoms, reflecting “the growing power of authoritarian governments and the disastrous effects of news and information chaos – the effects of a globalized and unregulated online information space that encourages fake news and propaganda.”
The worst situation is found in Myanmar, which ranked 176th out of 180 nations monitored by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a plunge from its 139th position last year — an obvious consequence of the February 2021 military coup. Not far behind, according to the RSF report, are Vietnam (174th) and Laos (161st), which continue to maintain strict control over the press. The case is similar in Brunei (166th) where the main media organizations are owned by the family of the reigning head of state Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Cambodia lies in 142nd position, thanks to the authoritarian government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose son looks set to follow in his place. Only slightly better is Singapore in 139th position, known for its stringent defamation and libel laws.
Yet conditions are not that much better in the region’s ‘nominal’ democracies like Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, particularly with a runaway and unregulated social media undermining media professionalism. In the Philippines (147th), journalists suffered from harassment under the former presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. As usual, some were targets of gunmen hired by disaffected politicians or businessmen. However, the year started off encouragingly when in January, Rappler.com founder and Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa was found innocent of trumped-up tax evasion charges brought by the Duterte administration.
In Indonesia (117th), journalists tread carefully for fear of igniting defamation lawsuits from political leaders, security chiefs and radical religious movements. Hence the practice of self-censorship is often applied, obfuscating the truth. Slightly ahead is Thailand (115th), where the inflexible lese majeste law restrains the media from reporting freely, particularly on issues involving the monarchy and politics. Likewise in Malaysia (113th), the threat of serious legal action puts a break on more liberal and critical reporting.
This is the environment from which AsiaViews will be reporting on various developments in the region, with the hope that conditions will improve and enable us to present balanced and factual information. Happy New Year.
Yuli Ismartono
Managing Editor
