Columnist Sobari feels impact of `Tempo' ban

Columnist Sobari feels impact of `Tempo' ban

JAKARTA (JP): A leading columnist says he has lost one of the
main channels through which he expressed his ideas and thoughts
when Tempo news magazine was banned last month.

M. Sobari, a member of the research staff of the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said during a limited discussion on
democracy and freedom of speech that he did not know where he
could now send his articles, given that no other press
institutions was willing to accept his style of writing.

Sobari, a Javanese who graduated from the Gadjah Mada
University in Yogyakarta, is accustomed to writing in a symbolic
style, making use of Javanese legends and figures to insinuate
and express his ideas about current issues. "As a writer, all I
can do is express my feelings, but how can I do this when the
general quality of the media has been brought so low?" he asked.

He added that his most recent article, using his usual style
of metamorphose to insinuate the issue of openness and press
bans, was rejected by almost all the existing news publications.

Sobari pointed out that the press ban raised questions about
the actual meaning of "responsible freedom for the sake of
justice and democracy".

The government last month revoked the publishing licenses of
three prominent news weeklies, Tempo, DeTIK and Editor, on the
grounds that they violated the "responsible freedom of press" as
interpreted by the government.

"Revocation of the publishing licenses of the magazines has
already taken place ... what we need to look forward to now is
when they will be re-published again," he said. However, he
quickly added that he was not in the position to analyze how this
could be done.

The mass media which is still in circulation will now have to
be careful, and tactful, as they are currently working in a
dangerous atmosphere created by the press bans, he said.

`Cultural strategies'

Sobari said he did not agree on what he considered
"subversive" methods which tend to "bang the head carelessly and
cause foolish deaths".

Instead, he indicated, certain "cultural strategies" should be
implemented to encourage openness and democracy in society.

Participants from NGOs also acknowledged that they felt the
press has been keeping an extremely "low profile" ever since the
ban was imposed.

One participant suggested that journalists get together to
make a private publication containing their ideas, feelings and
follow-up news about the incidents related to the press ban.

"So far, a number of NGOs have been doing this. Pijar, for
instance, has published about 10 editions of what people refer to
as 'illegal leaflets' which are very informative," she said.

Meanwhile timber tycoon Mohamad (Bob) Hasan yesterday neither
denied nor confirm the suggestions that he was one of the
investors who are interested in acquiring Tempo's shares.

"No comment," Bob said repeatedly when journalists pressed him
with the issue during a press conference about an upcoming
international track and field competition of which he is a
patron.

"There is no negotiation," he said.

Asked whether he was interested, Bob responded that he already
had two magazines, Sportif and Paron, which were already a
handful to manage. "I'm too busy," he said. (pwn/amd)