Change of guard at 'Antara'

Change of guard at 'Antara'

Any change of guard at the top levels cannot fail to attract
attention, although in essence it must be seen as a natural
cycle, at least under normal conditions. I cannot speak for
others, but I think present conditions, economic, political or
otherwise, are normal in the general sense.

Certainly the sudden replacement (it was not so sudden,
politically speaking) this week of the chief of Antara news
agency, Parni Hardi, a career journalist turned politician, with
Mohammad Sobary, a cultural researcher turned journalist, came as
a surprise and an unwelcome shock to the people at Antara
themselves. They wanted Parni Hardi replaced by another Antara
man and would demonstrate to protest the move, as reported by
Elshinta radio.

The news agency has been operating as part of the State
Secretariat, with technical guidelines or political directives
provided by the information ministry. Without financial
assistance, especially during the time of Ismail Saleh, Antara
could not have developed into its present reliable national and
regional news agency. Its income originally came from state
subsidies and subscriptions from clients.

Antara also holds the copyrights for about 12 publications,
now of course offered direct online to offices as well. Somehow
it has never been a really profitable business, except for the
last few years when it operated independently following
Soeharto's departure. Yet there has been a marked improvement in
the fate of employees and journalists. In cooperation with
Reuters, it has now become a financial information center as
well.

Who whispered into the President's ear that Antara's boss
needed to be replaced with somebody from the general election's
winning camp? It is unthinkable that Antara's employees would be
willing to stage a protest against the decision. Parni Hardi is a
daring and blunt newsman and organizer, only he bet on the wrong
horse.

Hopefully, Mohammad Sobary has been told that in dealing with
international news agencies, the language used is English and he
should brush up on his English skills. And remember, sentences
should be composed in a crisp style and even feature articles
should not be verbose, but should be business-like. In case he
runs into problems, just appoint an assistant.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta