REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir said the country's long travel history is not independent of the important role of the press in the country.

“If we look at the history of the long journey of a nation that is nothing but interesting, there must be a history of the press at the same time,” Erick said while giving a speech after viewing the photo exhibition entitled “Press, Democracy and Development” in the Gallery Room of the ANTARA Heritage Center Complex or formerly known as the ANTARA Pasar Baru Building in Jakarta, Sunday (18/2/2024).

Erick exemplifies how in the history of the United States during the civil war, the press also played an important part in reporting the events that took place at that time.

“If we look at how America was also building freedom of speech and there was a civil war between the two regions of America, of course the press was also an important part of reporting what was happening at the time of the event,” Erick said.

In fact, he continued, there was also a debate of thought, as former US President Abraham Lincoln spoke of the US being a land of freedom, where human rights were protected for all.

“It was a flow of great movements when it came to dissent from his brothers in other regions who still thought about slavery. It had to be part of industrial development for America then and that's when the press I think put a different perspective but, that's America,” he said.

The same, says Erick, is also the case in Indonesia that the country's long travel history is also not detached from the history of the press. He said the ANTARA Pasar Baru Building, which was established since 1925, also accompanies the long history of the Indonesian state, one of which was the Pemuda Pemuda event in 1928.

“I feel the same way that in Indonesia, I saw especially this building, the historical building of 1925, witnessing how before the independence era and even the exciting 1928 when our younger generation declared one nation one language. I think ANTARA or this building has been part of that history and continues to this era today,” Erick said.

Furthermore, he expects ANTARA to remain a public service media with news that does not divide the nation. “I see how regardless of this is to be loyal to the government but not shut down talks that take place publicly but certainly in contexts that do not divide the nation. That is, it can be different but let the context not divide the nation,” Erick said.

ANTARA organized a photo exhibition entitled “Press, Democracy and Development” which depicts the world of the press (civic) in Indonesia, from the time of revolution to the present. Some of the photos shown also show the electoral journey in Indonesia, from the first elections in 1955 to the 2024 Capres-Cawapres campaign.

Including some of the results of the development of both infrastructure and public infrastructure during the last ten years of the leadership of President Joko Widodo.

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