President's men unhappy with free press<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Press freedom, one of the symbols of democracy,
\nwill at some point scare all the President's men, regardless of
\ntheir commitment to democracy.<\/p>\n
The semblance of fright unfolded on Saturday when some palace
\nofficials expressed their disappointment with the Jan. 21st
\nedition of the International Herald Tribune which carried
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid's picture on its front page.<\/p>\n
The photo, captioned 'President Wahid of Indonesia taking a
\nbreak during the unveiling of his 2000 budget in Jakarta on
\nThursday,' clearly shows the President napping.<\/p>\n
"The President did not sleep, he just listened attentively,"
\nan official said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
State-owned TV station TVRI, which broadcast the session live,
\nalso shot the moment.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman was attending a House of Representatives plenary
\nsession to hear Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri unveil the
\n2000 draft budget.<\/p>\n
During the era of former president Soeharto, who resigned in
\nMay 1998, military and other government institutions would not
\nhave tolerated such a picture in the media.<\/p>\n
"Some of my colleagues found it difficult to understand the
\nphotographer's choice," said an official.<\/p>\n
But the President himself just laughed when told about the
\nphoto, according to the official, who requested anonymity.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman is famous for his habit of falling asleep when
\nmeeting with guests or attending a seminar, but also for waking
\nup and responding perfectly to his counterpart's remarks.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab disclosed how he would
\nstay alert to ensure that the President would not be drowsy when
\ntalking with U.S. President Bill Clinton at the White House in
\nNovember.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt about Abdurrahman's strong commitment to
\nfree press. He appointed former Kompas journalist Ratih Hardjono
\nas the presidential secretary and Tempo editor Wahyu Maryadi as
\nhis protocol affairs chief.<\/p>\n
He regularly meets with the press, and will not hesitate to
\nanswer even sensitive questions. He statements often provoke
\ncontroversy, but he very rarely retracts them or blames
\njournalists for misquoting him.<\/p>\n
In his interview with private TV station TPI, broadcast on
\nSunday evening, Abdurrahman unveiled many jokes, including on his
\nrecent meeting with Clinton.<\/p>\n
His inner circle officials however began to take some measures
\nto protect their boss from the press. Journalists are surprised
\nwith the attitudes of his newly installed aides Marsilam
\nSimajuntak and Bondan Gunawan, who serve as Cabinet secretary and
\nsecretary of government supervision, respectively.<\/p>\n
The two were previously known as staunch antigovernment
\nactivists.<\/p>\n
Bondan allowed only one journalist to pose a question when the
\nPresident held a media briefing last Monday. Only after protest
\nfrom a foreign journalist did he allow a female reporter to ask
\nan additional question. (prb)<\/p>",
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