Evans visits 'Tempo' exhibition

Evans visits 'Tempo' exhibition

JAKARTA (JP): Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Gareth Evans
attended an exhibition of old Tempo magazine covers and the
launching of Sidelines, a book of selected essays by its former
chief editor, last Sunday evening.

"Evans only paid a short visit here, about ten minutes," said
Goenawan Mohamad, former chief editor of the now defunct Tempo
magazine. At the opening of the exhibition, Evans was accompanied
by Australian ambassador to Indonesia, Allan Taylor.

Goenawan said the minister expressed his deep sympathy for the
closure of his magazine by the government. Evans asked about
Tempo's last front cover, which caused the revocation of their
publishing license, he said.

"The front cover design is good," Goenawan quoted Evans as
saying.

He said Evans also asked about the possibility of acquiring of
a new publishing license for Opini magazine, applied for by some
of Tempo's former employees.

"I told him that I am no longer involved with Tempo's former
employees," Goenawan said to the Antara news agency.

However, he told Evans that Director General of Press and
Graphics Subrata had informed him that the government will not be
issuing a new license.

Goenawan also handed an English version of his collection of
essays, entitled Sidelines, to the minister.

Tempo lost its license in June along with the news weekly
magazine Editor and the weekly DeTik tabloid. Tempo was punished
for certain aspects of its editorial content, although the
government never specifically mentioned the articles that were
deemed to be offensive. Editor and DeTik were closed for
administrative reasons.

Employees of Tempo magazine have been trying to obtain a new
license since the government revoked its permit.

A group of former employees from the defunct Tempo weekly
recently accepted timber tycoon Muhammad (Bob) Hasan as its major
investor in the newly-founded magazine Gatra. They announced on
Oct. 20 that they had obtained a publishing license for their new
weekly magazine and it is scheduled to hit the streets today.

Those who refused to join the Gatra management tried to start
their own weekly Opini, of which copies of the trial edition were
circulated in mid-October.

However, the Association of Newspaper Publishers, which issues
recommendations for new publications, asked its managers to
rename the magazine as another publication already carries the
same name. They have since renamed the magazine and now call it
Berita. (imn)