TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Jakarta has joined in solidarity with a protest over a lawsuit worth Rp200 billion filed by Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman against Tempo.
"The case of Amran Sulaiman is not eligible and inappropriate to be accepted as a lawsuit by the South Jakarta District Court!" exclaimed AJI Jakarta Chair Irsyan Hasyim in his speech in front of the South Jakarta District Court on Monday, November 3, 2025.
He mentioned that 27 years ago, during the era of reformation, there was a division of power between the executive, legislative, and judiciary. As a result, laws were enacted to regulate the judicial powers. In addition, there was also the Press Law. According to Irsyan, both laws do not accommodate lawsuits against the media.
Irsyan emphasized that disputes in journalism should be resolved at the Press Council. Therefore, when the court accommodates Amran's lawsuit against Tempo, it would lower the dignity of the judiciary.
"We from the civil society coalition demand the South Jakarta District Court not to accept Amran Sulaiman's lawsuit as an interim decision!" stated Irsyan.
The panel of judges decided to issue an interim decision in the case in two weeks, on Monday, November 17, 2025. Later, the panel will decide whether or not it has the authority to adjudicate this case.
The Substance of Amran's Lawsuit
The case of Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman's lawsuit against Tempo is registered under the number 684/Pdt.G/ 2025/PN JKT SEL. He alleges that the defendant has committed unlawful acts against the plaintiff. As a result, the Ministry of Agriculture suffered both material and immaterial losses.
Amran is demanding material compensation of Rp19,173,000. This amount is considered necessary for the cost of searching for and gathering data related to media coverage and meetings regarding the alleged acts by Tempo.
Tempo is also asked to pay Rp200 billion as immaterial compensation. According to Amran, Tempo's actions have resulted in a decline in the performance of the Ministry of Agriculture, disrupted the implementation of programs and activities, and affected public trust in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Tempo's legal representative, Mustafa Layong, stated that the case began when Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman objected to Tempo's news article poster regarding the rice management policy by the ministry titled 'Poles-Poles Beras Busuk' (Polishing Rotten Rice). He said that Amran considered the headline problematic as it was deemed to undermine the ministry's credibility and brought it to the Press Council.
One of the issues raised by the Minister of Agriculture was the word 'busuk' (rotten) in the article's title poster. According to Tempo's Deputy Chief Editor Bagja Hidayat, the word 'busuk' means 'damaged' according to the Indonesian Dictionary.
The title represents the content of the article that exposes the absorption of rice by Bulog through the any quality policy at a fixed price of Rp6,500 per kilogram. As a result of this policy, farmers irrigate good-quality rice to increase its weight. The rice absorbed by Bulog then becomes damaged.
This damage to the rice is acknowledged by the Minister of Agriculture himself, as mentioned in the article titled "Risiko Bulog Setelah Cetak Rekor Cadangan Beras Sepanjang Sejarah" (Risks Faced by Bulog After Breaking the Record for Rice Reserve in History).
After mediation between Tempo and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Press Council issued a Statement, Assessment, and Recommendation (PPR). Tempo received it on June 18, 2025, and implemented all the recommendations the following day.
The five points in the recommendation were to change the title on the poster uploaded on Tempo's Instagram account, issue an apology, and moderate the content. The remaining points required Tempo to report back to the Press Council that the recommendations had been implemented.
The Executive Director of the Press Legal Aid Institute (LBH Pers) stated that there was a 2 24-hour deadline for Tempo to comply with the PPR. Therefore, Tempo's implementation of the PPR falls within the timeframe specified in the Press Council's assessment.
However, according to Mustafa, on July 1, 2025, Amran Sulaiman filed a civil lawsuit against the South Jakarta District Court, claiming that Tempo had not complied with the Press Council's recommendations and sought compensation.
The legal representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Chandra Muliawan, did not respond to why his client sued Tempo. He claimed that the journalistic product process of Tempo had been submitted to the Press Council and a decision had been made.
"For the rest and further information, maybe it can be seen from the progress of the hearing, because that is the essence of the case," said Chandra at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday, October 20, 2025. He urged the public to see further developments through the official release from the Ministry of Agriculture's Public Relations Bureau.
Nevertheless, Chandra denied any attempt to silence the press through his client's lawsuit against PT Tempo Inti Media Tbk. "I can confirm that there is no such thing."
Hanin Marwah contributed to the writing of this article.
Editor's Choice: Civil Society Coalition Supports Tempo Against Minister Amran Sulaiman's Lawsuit
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