Banser's protest over caricature regretted

Banser's protest over caricature regretted

JAKARTA (JP): The National Awakening Party (PKB) secretary-
general Muhaimin Iskandar regretted its militias Garda Bangsa and
Banser of the largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama for
protesting a caricature in a newspaper.

"We apologize for the conduct. We had already forbade them
from conducting a rally over it when they asked for approval,"
Muhaimin told reporters on Wednesday.

Several members of the militia groups reportedly "visited" the
head office of Pikiran Rakyat morning daily on Jl. Soekarno-
Hatta, Bandung on Tuesday.

They protested a caricature in the newspaper's Monday edition
which they deemed defaming to the party. The caricature featured
a mouse (PKB) and a pig (the China Communist Party) together in a
pen saying: "Now, we are friends."

The cartoon seemed to refer to a recent visit by a delegation
from the China Communist party to Jakarta. The delegation met
with President Abdurrahman Wahid and several members of political
parties, including PKB.

Muhaimin who is also the House of Representatives deputy
speaker urged the militias to end the dispute since the newspaper
had already apologized.

"I think its enough. We don't need to be angry that the
newspaper had insulted us as the caricature is baseless," he
remarked.

But PKB's deputy chairman Yusuf Muhammad viewed the reaction
of Banser and Garda Bangsa as normal due to the negative
portrayal intended by publishing the caricature.

"The newspaper tried to create a negative image so I think,
the reaction was normal," Yusuf said.

He rejected that Banser and Garda Bangsa members have
"occupied" the newspaper office, saying that they had just come
in a small number to protest the caricature.

PKB's West Java chapter contacted several mass media on
Wednesday saying they would be holding a rally at Pikiran
Rakyat's office.

But the chapter's official Dede Supriadi said in the evening
that the rally would be held on Thursday.

Meanwhile, executives of the newspaper and PKB's officials are
still trying to settle the dispute. The newspaper had published
an apology on its front page the last two days.

In May, the same groups "occupied" the office of Surabaya-
based Jawa Pos morning daily to protest a report on corruption
allegedly linked to President Abdurrahman Wahid who is the
founder of PKB.(25/jun)