Ghalib offers to buy ties 'banned' reporters

Ghalib offers to buy ties 'banned' reporters

JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib denied banning
three local news journalists at his office.

"It was merely a misunderstanding with (my office's) public
relations division," Ghalib told reporters on Wednesday prior to
a Cabinet meeting at Bina Graha presidential office.

He claimed that he did not ban any journalists from covering a
story at his office but asked them to behave and dress properly.

According to Ghalib, it was not necessary for journalists to
shout while asking questions.

At the same time, he said he wanted his staff to ask
journalists assigned to his office to follow the way reporters at
Bina Graha dress.

"They're all well-dressed," Ghalib said, looking at the Bina
Graha reporters.

Holding a tie of one of the reporters, he said that he would
be glad if the media who came to his office would wear such an
accessory and shoes.

"If necessary, I'll buy ties for them," the attorney general,
who's currently under fire for an alleged bribe of Rp 1.8 billion
and his failure to probe the suspected wealth of the Soehartos,
said.

"But don't wear jeans or sandals to my office," he added.

Ghalib, however, did not disclose where he would get the money
from to buy the ties.

The banning of the three journalists -- Bambang Wahyu from
Kompas daily, Driantama from RCTI television station, and Roy
Tumpal Pakpahan from newly-established Suara Bangsa afternoon
paper -- was endorsed by the head of the general affairs at
Ghalib's office, Zainuddin Jahisa, on Tuesday.

The prohibition was effective starting from Wednesday for an
unlimited period of time.

According to Zainuddin, the three journalists were rude to his
boss during a press conference at the office shortly after the
installment of Deputy Attorney General for Special Crime Ramelan
on May 26.

"The three journalists pointed fingers at Attorney General
Ghalib as they asked questions to him during the press
conference," he told Kompas.

Ghalib's spokesman Soehandojo said the reporters raised the
questions in such a way as if they were interrogating the
attorney general.

The ban quickly sparked anger from the reporters' colleagues
and several other parties.

On Wednesday afternoon, scores of journalists -- excluding
those from other beats -- staged a noisy but peaceful protest
around the Attorney General's Office near the Blok M Plaza
shopping center in South Jakarta.

The protesters, including the three banned journalists,
started the protest at 11 a.m. in front of the office before
walking around to the office's backside entrance gate.

During the rally, the three journalists took turns airing
concerns while fellow supporters waved banners and posters
protesting the decision.

The protesters refused to enter the office compound although
Ghalib's security officials allowed them.

They dispersed peacefully one hour later.

A few hours later, five journalist associations made a joint
statement urging Ghalib to disclose the reasons behind his
office's decision to ban the three journalists to enter the
Attorney General's Office.

"We strongly lash out at the restriction. We therefore urge
the attorney general to convey a reasonable argument behind the
banning," Arbain A.W. Rambey, chairman of the Indonesian
Photojournalist Association (PFI), who read the statement, told a
press conference.

The statement was jointly signed by executives of PFI,
Association of Indonesian Television Journalists (IJTI), Alliance
of Independent Journalists (AJI), Association of Indonesian
Journalists of Reforms (PWI Reformasi) and Association of
Indonesian Radio Journalists (AJRI).

The press conference took place at the IJTI office in South
Jakarta.

The five associations set the deadline for Ghalib to clarify
the ban reason for midday Thursday at the latest.

"If he ignores our call, we encourage all Indonesian
journalists who work either for domestic or foreign media to
stage a massive protest on Thursday at the Attorney General's
Office for the sake of the country's democracy and press
freedom," Arbain added.

The ban against the three journalists was also objected by the
Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Right Association (PBHI),
Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) and the government-
sponsored Association of Indonesian Journalists (PWI).

"The attorney general has the obligation to protect and assist
anybody whose profession is to promote and to defend human
rights, not to ban them from covering news," said PBHI chairman
Hendardi in a statement.

SBSI echoed: "We urge President B.J. Habibie and Minister of
Information Muhammad Yunus to take stern action against such
arrogance."

Ilham Bintang of PWI said: "The Attorney General's Office is
not Ghalib's house. This is an office in which the information
and facts deserve to be made known to the public." (asa)