Mega accused of manipulation in 'TVRI' appointments<\/p>\n
JP\/2\/METRO<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri expressed disbelief on Monday
\nover the results of several TV polls about the most favored
\npresidential candidates, while on the same day an outspoken
\nlegislator said the appointment of the new president director of
\nstate-owned TVRI was an attempt by Megawati's party to misuse the
\nTV station to win her presidential bid.<\/p>\n
To back up her justification, Megawati, who never wins top
\nposition in any poll, cited the owner of Metro TV station Surya
\nPaloh as an example, because, according to the President, the TV
\nstation always put Surya's name in the list of top presidential
\ncandidates in its polls.<\/p>\n
\"Is it because he has entered the presidential race that he
\nalways wins the polling? I thought Metro TV was an independent
\nstation,\" the President told a group of the country's senior
\njournalists.<\/p>\n
Surprised by the criticism, Surya, who was sitting in the
\nfront row of the guests, spontaneously stood up and clapped his
\nhands at the audience. Surya, one of the Golkar Party's possible
\npresidential candidates, also saluted the President.<\/p>\n
Megawati also said the members of her Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI-P) often expressed concern because in
\nthose polls, her name was far behind those of others.<\/p>\n
\"I say to them, how should I know? -- I don't own a TV
\nstation,\" the President said, bursting into laughter.<\/p>\n
A Metro TV reporter, however, said that the station had not
\ncarried out any polls of favorite presidential candidates. The
\nsurvey was made by the station's sister company, Media Indonesia
\ndaily. But Surya often appears on his own TV station, sometimes
\nfor 30 minutes, to boost support for himself.<\/p>\n
The favorite person according to the polls, in which viewers
\nsend their choice of favorite candidate to TV stations via short-
\nmessaging service (SMS), is often dubbed an \"SMS president\".<\/p>\n
Megawati, however, is not free from such allegations. A
\nlegislator from the National Awakening Party (PAN), whose
\nchairman, Amien Rais, is also one of Megawati's rivals, described
\nthe replacement of state-owned TVRI TV station management as a
\nsystematic attempt to use the power of TV in promoting Megawati
\nin July's presidential election.<\/p>\n
\"I think the replacement is politically motivated and is aimed
\nat controlling public opinion. It will benefit the ruling party,\"
\nsaid Djoko Susilo, chairman of the House of Representatives
\ncommission for media and information affairs.<\/p>\n
Minister of State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi, who is also a
\nPDI-P executive, appointed on Tuesday a veteran TVRI reporter,
\nNasirwan Uyun, as the TV station's new president director, news
\nanchor Nunuk Parwati as news director and Alex Kumara as a
\nprogram director.<\/p>\n
They replaced Hari Sulistiono and Enny Angraeni Hardjanto
\nrespectively, who held the position only for 10 months.<\/p>\n
\"This is just a routine replacement to improve the company's
\nperformance. That's all -- nothing fishy,\" said deputy minister
\nfor strategic industries at the Office of the State Minister of
\nState Enterprises Roes Aryawidjaja, after swearing in the new TV
\nmanagement.<\/p>\n
.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bmega-accused-of-manipulation-in-tvri-appointmentsb-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }