Goenawan Mohamad spells out terms for return of `Tempo'
JAKARTA (JP): Goenawan Mohamad says he will consider the government's offer to issue a new license in place of the one for Tempo which was revoked last week, but stressed that the new magazine must not be subject to any kind of official restrictions.
Goenawan, the magazine's director and former chief editor, told The Jakarta Post yesterday there is always a chance of Tempo getting a new publishing license in the future.
"But if that means we have to give certain people outside Tempo the mandate to run the magazine or if we have to allow them to determine Tempo's editorial content, Tempo might as well remain dead," he said.
"There are limits to how one can bear such restrictions," he stressed.
Tempo was one of three current affairs magazines that lost its publishing licenses, more popularly known as SIUPP, last week. The move signals the magazines' virtual closure, and that they can only resurface under new names, with new boards of directors and editors.
The government, now under pressure to reverse the move, has said it would consider giving Tempo a new license but has not spelled out the terms, which are expected to be decided upon behind closed doors.
Goenawan, one of the founding members of the magazine 23 years ago, stated however that he had no intention of remaining with Tempo if the magazine was allowed to resume publication under the same or any other name.
He described his experience in leading a news magazine in Indonesia as like "a pilot in a hijacked plane."
"You make one small mistake, your plane will blow up and many people will fall prey. But after your plane is blown up, you are still forced to be careful because you'll get a new plane -- complete with new hijackers."
He said he could not go through such an experience again.
In any case, the process of reviving Tempo or its replacement is likely to be a long one and the magazine's journalists and employees are currently bracing for a long wait.
Goenawan said Tempo's staff are now analyzing their options to try to survive and stay together for as long as they can.
"We are now implementing these measures," he said without elaborating on the measures being taken.
He pointed out that something bigger is at stake for the Indonesian press than the loss of Tempo and the other two magazines, and this is reflected in the street protests that are now occurring.
"This is not only a matter of Tempo. If people have taken to the streets to protest, it is not to give Tempo another chance to circulate ... The issue at stake is freedom," he said.
Even if Tempo, Editor and DeTIK's are allowed to return, the people currently fighting for them should also fight for government assurances that the open climate will continue.
Goenawan said he considered the Indonesian press to be "not a very bold one" even under the recent climate of political openness.
"But now even such a silent press is banned," he said. "If a careful press has been banned, what else is there left?"
Goenawan said the direction of the future Indonesian press depends on their attitude, whether they will fight or stay low, and on the implementation of the government's new control system.
"My hunch is that the government may revoke the ministerial regulation, giving the power to the minister to revoke a license of the publications, but they will create a new ruling," he said.
This new ruling, he offered, could be in the form of buying or investing shares in publications, enabling the government to control the press from the inside, "so you don't need any ministerial regulation to control the press freedom, you only need money". (pwn)