Indonesian Government Guarantees Freedom of Expression for Artists: Director General of Culture

Jakarta, InfoPublik - Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture’s Director-General of Culture  Hilmar Farid stated  that the government guarantees the freedom of expression for artists.

"We are also committed to improving the welfare of art workers, and one of them is by providing financial access," said Hilman, in a panel discussion on Ensuring Artistic Freedom: The Challenge of Public Policy, at Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) on Thursday (4/5).

According to Hilman, artists remain facing challenges such as repression from non-state actors.

"There is a big problem in the freedom for artists to do their work, as it happened during  Jakarta gubernatorial election some time ago," he explained.

He asserted, dialogue forum with artist groups and human rights institutions should continue to be elaborated.

"Though Indonesia is often referred to as the world's largest democracy,  the welfare of artists still needs improvement," he said.

He stated that his office also provides assistance for archiving artwork.

"A lot of artworks need to be documented, and we are committed to help," he added.

The discussion is a part of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2017 which was held at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) on May 1-4, 2017. Attending the discussion were domestic  and foreign journalists and media practitioners.  (Reporter: Eko Budiono/Translator: Sugiarti)