Ghafar's statment 'unethical'

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)