Surabaya's mayor to be reprimanded<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. said
\nyesterday that he has ensured Surabaya's mayor will be
\nreprimanded for threatening journalists.<\/p>\n
\"I called East Java Governor Basofi Sudirman this morning to
\nask him to rebuke the mayor of Surabaya. A government official
\nshould protect his citizens, including the press,\" Yogie told
\nreporters after meeting President Soeharto at Bina Graha.<\/p>\n
An official should not go around threatening people, he added.<\/p>\n
Surabaya Mayor Sunarto Sumoprawiro lashed out at the
\nIndonesian press with uncharacteristically harsh words last
\nFriday. He threatened to clamp down on journalists who write
\nnegative articles about Governor Basofi.<\/p>\n
According to local press accounts, Sunarto said that \"I'm the
\nauthority here. No matter what you do, I will prevail. Don't you
\ndare write bad stuff, or I'll make you my enemy. I'll seek you
\nout. I'll demolish your homes and turn them into parks.\"<\/p>\n
His remarks drew criticism from officials and senior
\njournalists in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Minister\/State Secretary Moerdiono said government officials
\nshould accept criticism leveled against them. He described the
\nmayor's reaction as \"inappropriate\".<\/p>\n
The Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Journalists,
\nSofyan Lubis, appealed to government officials not to judge
\ncritical journalists hastily as if they all had bad intentions.<\/p>\n
Leading sociologist Mely G. Tan of the Indonesian Institute of
\nSciences said that the mayor's reaction reflected that
\nIndonesians, particularly government officials, do not take
\nkindly to criticism.<\/p>\n
\"Openness towards criticism has not yet emerged in our
\nsociety. Government officials still take criticism personally and
\nregard it as a threat to their positions,\" Mely told Antara.<\/p>\n
Her only suggestion was that journalist write in a way that
\ndoes not directly criticize an official.<\/p>\n
Mely underlined, however, that the journalists' association
\nshould not let the matter rest and should even file a lawsuit
\nagainst the mayor.<\/p>\n
If the association dismissed the case \"other officials would
\nlearn that threatening journalists does not carry real risk,\" she
\nsaid. (emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/surabayas-mayor-to-be-reprimanded-1447893297",
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