History
Indonesia Raya was co-founded in 1949 by Mochtar Lubis. [1] It received irregular funding from military intelligence officers [2] and operated under the opinion that, for the free press, the government was "adversary number one". [3] By 1956 its circulation was 40,000, [4] but after 1957 Indonesia Raya was banned six times. [1]
In October 1958, Indonesia Raya was banned and Mochtar Lubis imprisoned. [5] The daily did not resume publication until 1968, when the New Order government permitted its publication. [1] Former employees and staff were asked to return and continue their work. [5]
Beginning in 1969, Indonesia Raya published many articles regarding corruption in Pertamina. Although some newspapers, including Kompas , supported Indonesia Raya, others claimed that Indonesia Raya had a conflict of interest with Pertamina and accused it of trying blackmail the oil company. Eventually, in August 1970 Indonesia Raya was told to desist their reports or face serious repercussions. [6]
Indonesia Raya covered the 1973 Thai student demonstrations and the downfall of the regime. This coverage has been suggested to have been one of the causes of the Malari incident. [7] In 1974, following the incident, Indonesia Raya was banned again; this was due in part to the newspaper's coverage of corruption in Pertamina. [1] [5] Mochtar Lubis and several other journalists were imprisoned without a trial, while others were blacklisted. [5] It was eventually decided to discontinue the newspaper. [1]