Amien Rais goes to the web

Amien Rais goes to the web

JAKARTA: People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien
Rais is sick of having his words twisted, so he is going direct
to the web.

"As a public figure I often felt that my press interviews were
to a great extent sometimes distorted by our journalists," Amien
said Tuesday at the launch of www.e-amienrais.com.

"Sometimes I even squeeze their hands, saying please don't
make up your own sentences, don't make any additional comments -
then the next morning I read the report is not exactly what I
said," he said.

"Sometimes I get mad if some of my friends who happen to be
journalists misinform the public or distort my interviews. By
having this website I can clarify in my own words, on my own
terms."

Amien said he realized the vast majority of Indonesians did
not have access to the Internet.

"Of course we are fully aware that the use of the Internet is
still limited to the middle class and upper class because the
majority of the people still don't have personal computers in
their houses," he said.

"But even if we have a limited outreach, it's still very
beneficial to us. We'll find another method to reach the other
sectors of society." --JP