Supporters of press ban overwhelm rivals<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): There were more protests and counter-protests
\nover the government's ban against three news weeklies in many
\nlarge cities over the weekend, with supporters of the
\ngovernment's move appearing to have the upper hand in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian National Youth Committee
\n(KNPI) issued a statement on Saturday giving its support to the
\nbans against Tempo, DeTIK and Editor magazines.<\/p>\n
It also blamed the Association of Indonesian Journalists (PWI)
\nand the Association of Newspaper Publishers (SPS) and the Press
\nCouncil for failing to control the behavior of the magazines.<\/p>\n
Also on Saturday, two bus-loads of youths turned up at the
\nMinistry of Information's office for a show of force in support
\nthe government, which has been the target of a barrage of
\nprotests and criticisms since it issued the ban on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The 50 young people, who called themselves \"Young Generation
\nagainst Liberal Press\" (GMPPL), urged the government not to
\nsuccumb to pressure to allow the three magazines, which they
\naccused of indulging in \"yellow press\" journalism, to resume
\noperations.<\/p>\n
The youths were later bused to the House of Representative
\nwhere they also denounced the three magazines during a meeting
\nwith a number of House members. One of their posters read \"Tempo
\nis poisonous, Editor is dirty, DeTIK is dummy.\"<\/p>\n
\"Long Live Harmoko\" another poster read, referring to the
\nminister of information whose decision was to ban the magazines.<\/p>\n
Opponents of the bans decided to sit it out in Jakarta during
\nthe weekend, having conducted rallies on Wednesday and Thursday
\nin front of the Ministry of Information's office. An earlier plan
\nto march to the House of Representatives did not materialize,
\ndefusing a potential clash between the two opposing camps.<\/p>\n
But outside Jakarta, their voices were louder than that of the
\ngovernment's supporters -- at least in Surabaya, capital of East
\nJava, and in Mataram, capital of West Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
In these two cities, journalists, activists, students,
\nartists, and intellectuals took to the streets demanding that the
\ngovernment allow the magazines to reappear in the name of
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
Opponents of the ban in Jakarta also began circulating a
\npetition denouncing the government's clamp down on freedom of
\nexpression.<\/p>\n
When the petition was first presented at a meeting at the
\nTaman Ismail Marzuki art center on Friday night, it received the
\nsignatures of 80 literary and art figures.<\/p>\n
Radhar Pancadahana, who is coordinating the petition, said the
\ndocument will be presented to Harmoko when he holds a hearing
\nwith the House of Representatives this Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The three magazines lost their publishing licenses after
\nignoring repeated government warnings over the way they were
\nreporting events and or managing their operations. The decree was
\nsigned by Director General for Press and Graphics Subrata on
\nbehalf of Harmoko.<\/p>\n
Subrata, during a meeting with four representatives of GMPPL
\non Saturday, appealed for restraint from all parties so the
\nsituation could be allowed to calm.<\/p>\n
The group of representatives was led by Panhar Makowi.<\/p>\n
Subrata also appealed to parties not directly concerned with
\nthe issue to refrain themselves. \"Let the press community in
\nIndonesia resolve the problem,\" he said.<\/p>\n
KNPI Jakarta called for a special conference to present its
\nstatement on the issue.<\/p>\n
While it supports the government bans, the committee appealed
\nto the government to find ways of helping the 800 journalists and
\nworkers of the magazines which have been displaced, said Setu
\nAlberto, deputy chief of the chapter.<\/p>\n
KNPI is an umbrella group of dozens of youth organizations
\nwhich often mobilizes its members for street demonstrations. One
\nof the organizations is the Panca Marga Youth, which on Friday
\nthreatened to send its members to the street to counter any
\ndemonstration against the government's ban.<\/p>\n
The KNPI Jakarta statement apparently did not have the support
\nof all the organizations this time.<\/p>\n
Representatives of the Indonesian Christian Students Movement
\n(GMKI) and the Muhammadiyah Students Union (IMM), at the same
\npress conference, let it be known that they had nothing to do
\nwith the statement.<\/p>\n
\"We denounce the ban of the magazines,\" cried John Tua
\nSimarmata of the GMKI.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, 70 former journalists and employees of Editor
\nvisited PWI's headquarters in Jakarta on Saturday calling on the
\nassociation to pressure the government to lift the ban.
\n(05\/arf\/jsk\/pwn\/emb)<\/p>",
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