PKS clarifies<\/p>\n
We would like to comment on the article by Sadanand Dhume that
\nappeared in The Jakarta Post on Dec. 5, PKS and the future of
\nRI's democracy, which was reprinted from an article that
\npreviously appeared in a magazine.<\/p>\n
* First, we thank the chief editor of the Post for agreeing to
\nspeak with us, to provide his views and to hear our views on this
\narticle.<\/p>\n
* In our view, Dhume's article, which attempted to use
\nassociation (e.g., linking Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood movement
\nwith the alma mater of one of the respected members of the
\nProsperous Justice Party (PKS), Hidayat Nur Wahid), is full of
\nspeculative statements. The overall tone of the article also uses
\nthe same tactics to force a conclusion that \"the Justice Party is
\nby far the larger threat to Indonesia\". This sentence refers to a
\nprevious sentence in an attempt to make a comparison with Jamaah
\nIslamiyah.<\/p>\n
* While we respect the individual opinion of Dhume, it would
\nbe a mistake and an insult to portray an Indonesian political
\nparty like the PKS, which was established under the 1945
\nConstitution (which is the law of the land in Indonesia), as a
\nthreat to the country. We would both politically and legally
\nchallenge such bigotry and hatred.<\/p>\n
* Knowing Dhume's background as a former foreign correspondent
\nin Indonesia, and based on our understanding of his non-academic
\nbackground and methodology of arguing in his article, we are
\nfully confident that the Post readership is mature enough to make
\nan objective judgment on the mediocre analytical quality and
\npossibly negative motives of Dhume's article.<\/p>\n
* In our call to the chief editor, we shared our sadness and
\nconcern that a well respected newspaper like the Post, with a
\nbroad international and national readership, would use such poor
\njudgment in reprinting a relatively old article of such
\nquestionable motives.<\/p>\n
* We are of the view that the Post has sufficient credibility
\nand weight to stick to a more objective and strongly
\nsubstantiated journalism to maintain the loyalty of its
\nsophisticated readership. We also shared our commitment with the
\nchief editor that we would help the readers to realize that the
\nPost has far greater sophistication in selecting its substance,
\ncontrary to our disbelief when reading this offensive article by
\nDhume.<\/p>\n
Finally, we would like to thank the Post for providing us with
\nthe opportunity to express our response to the re-printing of
\nthis article. We would like to also thank the readers for their
\nattention to this matter.<\/p>\n
TIFATUL SEMBIRING, President of PKS<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pks-clarifies-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }