Jakarta, LiterasiHukum.com – The Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Pers highlights a number of irregularities in the civil lawsuit worth Rp 200 billion filed by the Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman against Tempo. The lawsuit, which was triggered by a news poster entitled "Polishing Rotten Rice", is considered to ignore the press dispute resolution mechanism regulated in Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press. Director of LBH Pers, Mustafa Layong, stated that the lawsuit could be classified as Unjustified Lawsuit Against Press (ULAP), which is a legal action aimed at disrupting or silencing press freedom. "This is a strange and fabricated accusation," Mustafa said in his written statement, Tuesday, September 16, 2025. According to him, this lawsuit is procedurally flawed because the dispute has actually been handled and resolved through the Press Council. Tempo has implemented all five recommendations given by the Press Council, including changing the title of the poster and submitting an apology, within a period of 2x24 hours after receiving the official document on June 18, 2025.

Failed Mediation Process and Alleged ULAP

The legal process at the South Jakarta District Court (case number 684/Pdt.G/2025/PN JKT SEL) continued after five failed mediation attempts. LBH Pers noted that Minister Amran never attended the mediation process, while Tempo always attended and even offered the right of reply in the form of a special interview, which was then rejected. Mustafa explained that ULAP is a form of lawsuit that is not preceded by or does not go through the proper press dispute mechanism, such as the use of the right of reply or the right of correction. "Legitimizing silencing through law is a setback for democracy because it hinders professional and critical journalism practices," he said. Amran's party itself questioned the use of the word "Rotten" which was considered to injure the credibility of the ministry. However, LBH Pers argued that the use of the word was in accordance with the definition of the Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI) which means "damaged", and relevant to the content of the article which contained Amran's own confession regarding the damage to Bulog rice.

Material and Immaterial Losses of Rp 200 Billion

In the inaugural trial held on Monday, September 15, 2025, Amran Sulaiman's attorney, Chandra Muliawan, detailed the claim for losses submitted. Material losses were claimed at Rp 19.173.000 for data collection costs, while immaterial losses were claimed at Rp 200 billion. These immaterial losses are claimed to be due to the impact of the news on the decline in the performance of the Ministry of Agriculture, program disruptions, and the decline in public trust. This case is an important precedent that tests the effectiveness of the Press Council as a journalistic dispute resolution institution and becomes a benchmark for how the state, through its apparatus, responds to criticism from the press which functions as social control. News Source: This article is the result of paraphrasing and analysis of news released by Tempo.co on September 16, 2025.