Govt supports PWI's sacking of reporters

Govt supports PWI's sacking of reporters

JAKARTA (JP): The government has backed a move by the
Association of Indonesian Journalists (PWI) to sack 13 of its
members for joining the unrecognized Alliance of Independent
Journalists (AJI).

Minister of Information Harmoko threatened on Saturday that
the government would take action against mass media publications
that employ AJI members.

"It is stated in the official press publication permit that
the (licensed mainstream) media should employ only PWI members.
It's crystal clear," the former PWI boss said after meeting with
President Soeharto.

PWI, the only journalists organization that the government
recognizes, sacked 13 of its members last week for challenging it
when the government closed Tempo, Editor and DeTIK last year.

They, together with more than 50 others, signed the Sirnagalih
Declaration in August that lead to the establishment of AJI. PWI
officials are angered by the declaration because it contains a
passage denying it has the right to be the sole organization of
Indonesian journalists.

Most of those kicked out of the PWI were former Tempo
journalists, including former chief editor Goenawan Mohamad and
senior editor Fikri Jufri.

Other journalists who have had their names scratched from the
list are from the influential newspapers Kompas and Bisnis
Indonesia and one from the Jakarta-Jakarta monthly.

In a press statement signed by deputy chairman Tarman Azzam,
PWI also urged all editors to dismiss journalists who become AJI
members.

AJI is currently in trouble after ABRI security forces
arrested three of its activists last week for publishing an
underground magazine which is critical of the government.

Harmoko said that harsher punitive action may be taken against
newspaper editors who employ AJI members on a contract basis.

Many former journalists from Tempo, who refuse to join the
government-sanctioned substitute Gatra, are reportedly employed
on a contract basis by a number of newspapers. (pan)