REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The House of Representatives (DPR) Working Committee for the broadcast bill suspended on Monday the deliberations on foreign ownership of the Indonesian broadcast institutions, arguing that the bill required further evaluation.

The committee will still invite several parties, including the Foreign Ministry, to discuss the bill, stated Ramadhan Pohan, chairman of the working committee.

Chairman of the House Commission I Mahfudz Siddiq noted that the meetings with several parties, particularly policy makers, are necessary to discuss the foreign investment in the broadcast sector because this is related to national interests.

The essence of the bill is so fundamental that it needs comprehensive evaluation, he emphasized.

This is also because an economic agreement has been reached among the ASEAN member states, he pointed out.

"Moreover, the foreign investment dispute can be referred to the International Court of Arbitration," he explained.

Ideally, any industry related to the sovereignty of the state must be free of any foreign capital, remarked Tantowi Yahya, member of the House Commission I, which oversees defense, information, and foreign affairs.

He added that foreign ownership of the domestic broadcast institutions is a matter that must be widely discussed by all relevant factions.

The issue should not be hastily decided because it is crucial, he emphasized.

The government, through its Ministry of Communications and Information, plans to restrict foreign ownership of the broadcast industry up to 20 percent.

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