The South Jakarta District Court has granted Tempo‘s exception in the civil lawsuit filed by Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman. The Minister had sought Rp200 billion in damages, alleging that Tempo’s reporting had tarnished his and the Ministry of Agriculture’s reputation and image.
In a pivotal decision announced on Monday, November 17, the judicial panel declared that the “South Jakarta District Court lacks the authority to adjudicate this case.” The ruling, pertaining to case number 684/Pdt.G/2025/PN Jkt.Sel, explicitly stated: “Adjudicating: Grants the Defendant’s exception; Declares the South Jakarta District Court lacks the authority to adjudicate this case.” Beyond accepting Tempo’s exception, the judges in their interlocutory decision also ordered the plaintiff, the Ministry of Agriculture, to pay court fees totaling Rp240,000.
Tempo’s legal counsel argued that, in accordance with Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press, this matter should have been resolved through the Press Council. Furthermore, Tempo’s lawyers characterized Minister Amran’s lawsuit as a form of “Unjustified Lawsuit Against Press.”
In response to the verdict, LBH Pers (Legal Aid Institute for the Press) applauded the South Jakarta District Court’s decision, hailing it as an “important affirmation of the protection of press freedom in Indonesia.” Conversely, the Ministry of Agriculture’s legal team expressed disappointment, contending that their lawsuit was “carrying the mandate to protect 160 million farmers and small-scale citizens.”
The court’s decision aligns precisely with Tempo’s legal team’s exception, which argued that the South Jakarta District Court possessed no jurisdiction over the matter. They had also highlighted that the plaintiff had not utilized their right of reply, right of correction, or reported the issue through the mechanisms stipulated in the Press Law. Additionally, Tempo’s counsel maintained that Amran lacked legal standing to file the lawsuit.
This argument was predicated on two key reasons. First, Tempo asserted that the individual who lodged the complaint with the Press Council was Wahyu Indarto, not Amran in his capacity as Minister of Agriculture. Second, the subject of the disputed news report did not concern the plaintiff [Amran] directly, but rather Bulog’s maneuvers in absorbing rice and paddy. Tempo’s lawyers further contended that the lawsuit constituted an abuse of rights and was undertaken in bad faith, even suggesting an intent to intimidate through the exorbitant Rp200 billion compensation claim. Tempo’s legal team also argued that Amran’s lawsuit was misdirected, as the disputed article was published on Tempo.co, a site operated by PT Info Media Digital, not PT Tempo Inti Media Tbk. They also posited that Amran, as a minister, could not sue on behalf of ministry employees, Bulog, or Indonesian farmers without an explicit legal basis.
LBH Pers emphatically stated that the South Jakarta District Court’s ruling underscores that disputes concerning journalistic work, including the implementation of Statements, Assessments, and Recommendations (PPR) from the Press Council, fall within the purview of the Press Council, “not the general courts.” This decision, LBH Pers explained in a statement received by BBC News Indonesia, “is also an important affirmation of the protection of press freedom in Indonesia.” They further elaborated that the government’s lawsuit represents a form of Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP). According to LBH Pers, a SLAPP is the strategic utilization of the courts to silence public participation and freedom of expression, not to prove actual violations of rights or law, but rather to intimidate and weaken sources of societal opposition. “When linked to government lawsuits against the press, this constitutes an Unjustified Lawsuit Against Press (ULAP) – an action that can be classified as a lawsuit aimed at disrupting press independence in fulfilling its role and function as a social control,” LBH Pers concluded.
Chandra Muliawan, legal counsel for the Ministry of Agriculture, openly expressed his disappointment regarding the South Jakarta District Court’s decision to grant Tempo’s exception. He declared their intention to file a lawsuit in another court deemed competent, framing this move as a “form of commitment to protect the rights and dignity of 160 million Indonesian farmers.” Chandra explained that the initial lawsuit at the South Jakarta District Court was an integral part of fulfilling the mandate to protect Indonesia’s farmers and small-scale citizens. “Our rice has even been acknowledged by Mr. President [Prabowo Subianto] as quality rice and praised at UN forums,” Chandra stated. “But today, the South Jakarta District Court has closed its doors by declaring itself incompetent. So, where else should we seek justice?” Chandra maintained that Tempo’s reporting was profoundly misleading, damaging the image and self-esteem of farmers across various regions, particularly small-scale farmers. He emphasized, “If a state institution, constitutionally mandated to safeguard national food security, faces procedural walls like this, what then is the fate of small farmers who lack access and a voice?”
The civil lawsuit initiated by Amran Sulaiman stemmed from a Tempo daily article titled “Risiko Bulog Setelah Cetak Rekor Cadangan Beras Sepanjang Sejarah” (Bulog’s Risks After Setting a Record for Rice Reserves), published on May 16, 2025. According to Tempo.co, the article was accompanied by a cover image on Instagram and X depicting rice sacks under the headline “Poles-poles Beras Busuk” (Polishing Rotten Rice). The article detailed Bulog’s efforts to purchase all farmer-produced paddy at a unified price of Rp6,500 per kilogram. Three days after its publication, Wahyu Indarto, Head of the Communication Strategy and Issues Sub-Group for the Ministry of Agriculture’s Communication and Information Services Bureau, lodged a complaint about the accompanying poster to the Press Council, specifically challenging the use of the word “busuk” (rotten) in the poster.
On June 4, the Press Council attempted to mediate between Wahyu Indarto and Tempo, but the mediation reached an impasse due to Wahyu Indarto’s unwavering disagreement with the use of the word “rotten.” Consequently, the Press Council proceeded to the Statement, Assessment, and Recommendation (PPR) stage. Fourteen days later, the Press Council issued its PPR, recommending that Tempo amend the poster’s headline within 2×24 hours of receiving the PPR, moderate comments on the May 16, 2025 poster, and publish an apology to the complainant and the public. By June 19, 2025, Tempo complied with the PPR by changing the poster’s headline to “Main Serap Gabah Rusak” (Mainly Absorbing Damaged Paddy), issuing an apology to the complainant and readers, and deleting the original May 16, 2025, social media post. Despite Tempo’s adherence to the Press Council’s recommendations, Amran Sulaiman proceeded to sue Tempo in the South Jakarta District Court on July 2, 2025, seeking, among other things, Rp200 billion in compensation. This lawsuit, however, is not a first for the Minister. In 2019, he previously sued Tempo’s then Editor-in-Chief, Arif Zulkifli, and Managing Editor, Bagja Hidayat, for Rp100 billion each over an article titled “Gula-gula Dua Saudara” (The Sweet Deals of Two Siblings).
Summary
The South Jakarta District Court has ruled in favor of Tempo in a civil lawsuit filed by Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman, who sought Rp200 billion in damages over Tempo’s reporting. The court declared it lacked the authority to adjudicate the case, citing Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press, which mandates that such disputes be resolved through the Press Council. Tempo’s legal team argued the lawsuit was an “Unjustified Lawsuit Against Press” and that the plaintiff hadn’t utilized the proper channels outlined in the Press Law.
The court’s decision has been applauded by LBH Pers as an affirmation of press freedom, emphasizing that disputes concerning journalistic work fall under the Press Council’s purview. Conversely, the Ministry of Agriculture expressed disappointment, asserting the lawsuit aimed to protect the interests of Indonesian farmers. The case stemmed from a Tempo article and its accompanying social media poster, which led to a complaint to the Press Council and subsequent mediation, followed by Tempo’s compliance with the Council’s recommendations, yet the lawsuit proceeded nonetheless.