Regional/District Press Function on Indonesia Presidential Election 2009

Indonesian Version

Press according to Law No. 40 year 1999 about press is the social institution and people communication media to do journalist activities including searching, getting, owning, keeping, processing and telling the information in the form of writing, voice, picture, voice and picture also data and graph or in the other form using printing media, electronic media and all the available channel, including online media.

The function of press as the information media, social control and entertainment, not less important is the education function. The press elements are not concern about this function. For example, how to use indonesian in the right and good place according to the structure of indonesia language, so that the critique can be delivered in the proper way.

We need press function because the press independence is one of the democracy materialization and the most important element in the live of democratic people. That's why the law quarantees the press independence, they have rights to search, get and deliver their ideas and information because they have the responsibility in reporting by law, and the reporter has the refuse right.
Concerning the role and function of press as describe before, we can deny that the press can create the public opinion before the 2009 election comes. The influence is so strong. Report, paper or press release can influence the voters, from supporting became not supporting, vice versa.

The public opinion not only promoting the president or vice president candidate figure that the politic parties or the political party consolidation suggestion, but also explain who is the president and vice president candidate are. Not only the backgroung of each candidate, but also their formal education and their vision and mission. So do the individual capable and their ideas to develop Indonesia to prosperity.

Press should expose the quality of president and vice president candidate in one side, meanwhile from the other side press is asking to have responsibility in increasing the quality of the regional/district voters. If the quality of the voters increasing, it can be sure that the horizontal conflict among supporters before and after the election will not happened.