Ghafar's statment 'unethical'

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators and Moslem leaders have returned in kind the tirade from Malaysian politician Tun Ghafar Baba, admonishing him for going too far in roasting the Indonesian media for their coverage of Anwar Ibrahim.

The Indonesian Committee for World Moslem Solidarity (KISDI) said on Monday that Ghafar's remarks showed his "contempt for the Indonesian government, people and media". KISDI urged the Malaysian embassy to send Ghafar home.

The statement, signed by KISDI executive chairman A. Sumargono and secretary Adian Husaini, was handed to a staff member at the Malaysian embassy, which was closed on Monday for a national holiday.

Separately, legislator Sofyan Lubis, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), said Ghafar should have displayed greater understanding of the Indonesian media before making his statements in a news conference on Sunday.

"What's on the news was not Anwar as an individual, but democracy that is growing recently, including in Malaysia," the legislator of the Golkar faction was quoted by Antara news agency as saying. His statement was unethical, Sofyan said. Another legislator, Farida Syamsi Chadariah, also deplored the comments.

Ghafar slammed the media's support of Anwar -- who has been detained on charges including sodomy -- and sniped that Indonesia could have him because it seemed more receptive to homosexuals.

"Maybe he is more fitting to be a leader in Indonesia, because I heard that it is OK to be homosexual here, but in Malaysia it is against the law," said Ghafar, who was replaced by Anwar as Malaysia's deputy premier in 1993 and is now retired.

KISDI also took offense at Ghafar's aside that leading Indonesian lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution, who set up a pro-Anwar group here, should not bother to collect money to help Anwar and should instead donate the money to the Indonesian people "who need food".

"(Ghafar) displayed his arrogance, saying that Indonesian people were the ones needing help and not Malaysia," the group said. (aan)