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)