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)