Soroti Absennya Presiden di HPN, Mantan Ketum PWI Pusat Hendry Ch Bangun: Bukan Baru, Tapi Jadi Alarm bagi Pers yang "Ngap-ngapan"

SERANG - One of the founders of the National Journalists Forum and former Chairman of the Central PWI, Hendry Ch Bangun, assessed that the President's absence at the peak of the National Press Day (HPN) was not a new event. However, he assessed that the President's absence at the 2026 HPN in Serang, Banten, still raised questions and needed to be read as a signal for the press world that was under pressure.

Hendry reminded of past examples. Abdurrahman Wahid was said not to have attended the Banjarmasin HPN and was represented by Megawati Soekarnoputri. Joko Widodo also did not attend the Batam HPN and was represented by Jusuf Kalla. Meanwhile, Prabowo Subianto, according to Hendry, did not attend the Banjarmasin HPN because he did not want to be considered to be on the side in the middle of the issue of the PWI Central dualism, which he called a "coup d'etat wrapped in an Extraordinary Congress" and "never recognized by the state".

This senior journalist said that after the PWI Congress in Cikarang 2025 - which he linked to the acceleration of the election of new managers for unity - many people hoped that the problem would subside. He alluded to the congress being opened by the Minister of Komdigi, held at the Komdigi facility, and the new managers were welcomed. However, he assessed that the President's absence at the Serang HPN made some parties again ask questions. "So not a few who ask, what's up?" wrote Hendry.

He emphasized that the HPN on February 9 was based on the history of the 9-10 February 1946 journalist congress in Surakarta, which he called an effort to unite journalists throughout Indonesia and stand together with independence fighters to maintain the sovereignty of the Republic. He associated it with Presidential Decree Number 5 of 1985 which established the HPN. "The anniversary of the HPN was not attended by the President who made the Presidential Decree, whoever the president is?" said Hendry, who is also a former Kompas daily journalist, after attending the HPN 2026 in Serang, Banten, February 9.

Although critical, Hendry emphasized that PWI has a national ideology with Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution as the basis for thinking. He said it was in line with the national message often conveyed by the President. However, he also underlined the condition of the media industry which he considered to be increasingly heavy, namely advertising sucked into digital platforms, government media spending is no longer sufficient, and the welfare of journalists "at the stage of emergency".

Hendry claimed that "more than 95 percent" of media outlets were paid with "compromised wages" and many circumvented the factual certification requirement in order to survive. He also alluded to the limitations of support for competence improvement, saying that the training program related to journalist competence improvement "may not be up to Rp. 10 billion" for about 100,000 journalists in Indonesia.

Hendry reminded the press to still be required to maintain the clarity of the public space from hoaxes and provocations, while the media business he said must survive "in a very bad air condition". However, although sad, he asked that the President's absence not be read as an indifferent attitude. "The absence of the President ... let's not think that it is the government's indifference to the press," he wrote. He assessed that there could be a communication problem for the press to convey concerns, while showing the role of the press in development and maintaining national sovereignty.