Palace officials apologize over 'peci' affair<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two senior officials at Merdeka Palace denied on
\nMonday President B.J. Habibie had ordered journalists to wear a
\npeci, a traditional black cap, when covering stories at the
\npalace.<\/p>\n
\"If there are any parties who said (wearing a peci) was an
\nobligation, it was only a misunderstanding, and the palace
\napologizes to journalists if there was an impression that there
\nwas such an instruction from the President,\" Dewi said.<\/p>\n
Presidential Household Head M. Basyuni said any of his
\nsubordinates or other presidential staff were wrong if they told
\njournalists they were required to wear a peci, and he guaranteed
\nsuch a \"misunderstanding\" would not occur again.<\/p>\n
\"We want to state that there is no condition, let alone a
\ncompulsion, to wear a peci when covering activities at the palace
\nor the State Secretariat,\" Basyuni announced at the State Guest
\nHouse.<\/p>\n
One of Habibie's adjutants earlier called several
\nphotojournalists and television cameramen \"stupid\" for not
\nwearing a peci when they covered a meeting between the President
\nand the United Nations secretary-general's special envoy on East
\nTimor Jamsheed Marker at Merdeka Palace on June 21.<\/p>\n
Basyuni said the adjutant, Col. Firman Gani, apologized to
\njournalists for the incident. One of the journalists, however,
\ndenied receiving an apology.<\/p>\n
The incident became public when the Alliance of Independent
\nJournalists (AJI) issued a statement last Wednesday deploring the
\nincident.<\/p>\n
\"You are stupid, you have been told to wear a peci if you are
\ncovering the President here, so why don't you wear one,\" AJI
\nquoted the adjutant, a police colonel, as saying to the
\njournalists.<\/p>\n
As his two predecessors Sukarno and Soeharto, Habibie wears a
\npeci, which he describes as a symbol of \"nationalism\".<\/p>\n
Dewi said on Monday the President asked ministers and palace
\nofficials to wear a peci after a conversation with Papua New
\nGuinea Prime Minister Bill Skate during a state banquet held in
\nSkate's honor at the State Palace mid last year.<\/p>\n
Habibie told Skate the cap was a symbol of national identity.
\nSkate then asked why only palace employees wore a peci.<\/p>\n
When Skate asked why the ministers present at the banquet did
\nnot wear a peci, the President replied: \"Because they are
\nintellectuals.\"<\/p>\n
After this conversation, the President asked ministers and
\ngovernment officials to wear a peci, Dewi said.<\/p>\n
\"It is the President's custom to wear a peci, and his guests
\nat the palace, out of courtesy and to show respect to the
\nPresident, also wear one,\" Dewi said. (prb)<\/p>",
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