Govt to sue 'D&R' magazine for defaming Soeharto

Govt to sue 'D&R' magazine for defaming Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Information R. Hartono said
yesterday the government would sue Detektif dan Romantika (D&R)
weekly over its controversial cover despite an apology from the
magazine's executives.

"It's not that easy (to just apologize). We live in a state
that is ruled by law. All violations against the law must be
settled in court," Hartono said on the sidelines of a People's
Consultative Assembly session.

Hartono was referring to D&R executive Bambang Bujono who
apologized to the government Wednesday for issuing its latest
edition with a cover portraying President Soeharto as the king of
spades.

Bambang said the cover was not intended to disgrace the
President.

Hartono refused yesterday to disclose the accusations to be
leveled against the magazine, saying it would be at the
discretion of the court.

He added that the ministry had given the magazine a written
warning early yesterday.

Later in the day, the honorary board of the Press Council met
to decide the punitive measures to be taken against the magazine.

Head of the board Sjamsul Basri said it would look into
possible violations of the journalist's code of ethics. But he
doubted the case would lead to the banning of the magazine.

Alwi Dahlan, an honorary member of the Indonesian Journalists
Association (PWI), was quoted by Antara as saying last night that
the board had asked PWI to suspend D&R's chief editor for
violating the code of ethics.

PWI chairman Sofjan Lubis said the association's honorary
board would summon executives of the magazine so they could
explain the reasons for publishing the controversial cover.

Many people found it difficult yesterday to buy the magazine
following the government's reprimand.

The scarcity caused the magazine to soar in price, with some
kiosks and street vendors in Surabaya selling it for Rp 50,000,
almost eight times higher than its standard price of Rp 6,300.

Outgoing Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono joined the chorus
of criticism against the magazine yesterday, saying Soeharto did
not deserve such treatment.

"The President is a person who always respects state
institutions. Therefore I deplore people whose attitudes
denigrate any state institution," Moerdiono said.

When asked for his opinion about the magazine, he said he
had never read it and did not want to waste his time discussing
it.

Legal expert Lobby Loeqman supported the government's plan to
sue the weekly, saying that the lawsuit would teach the press
that it was accountable for what it published.

"I tend to reject an out-of-court settlement because we are
responsible for making the national press mature. Out-of-court
settlements will allow room for collusion," Lobby, a professor of
law at state-run Indonesia University, said.

The magazine could be accused of defaming the President, a
crime that carries a maximum of six years imprisonment under the
Criminal Code, he said.

The same charge was leveled against sacked legislator Sri
Bintang Pamungkas, who is serving a 34-month sentence at Cipinang
Penitentiary in East Jakarta. He was jailed in May 1996.

Lobby said D&R's chief editor should be held responsible for
the alleged defamation, although the Press Law allows the top
executive to skip the legal proceedings and instead target staff
members.

In his capacity as a member of the Press Council's honorary
board, Lobby said he regretted that the magazine ignored the
ethics but promised to defend it from a press ban.

"I'll push for a court settlement because the court cannot
revoke a publication's license," he said, adding that the
magazine did not commit an offense that could cost it its
license.

Minister of Information Harmoko issued in 1984 a controversial
decree that allows him to revoke the license of a publication for
its content or administrative offenses. The Press Law, which was
passed in 1982, does not recommend a press ban.

Four weeklies -- Monitor, Tempo, Editor and DeTik -- and two
dailies -- Sinar Harapan and Prioritas -- have fallen victim to the
decree.

Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute called on the
government not to ban the D&R magazine, saying that the measure
was a violation of the Press Law.

In a release made available to The Jakarta Post yesterday, the
foundation defended the magazine's choice of cover and criticized
the government's warning which it said discouraged democracy and
freedom of speech.

"We believe that the government's action against D&R does not
only deal with the cover, but its will to put pressure and
control on the press and the dispatch of critical information to
the public," the statement, signed by the foundation's executives
Dadang Trisasongko and Munir, said. (jun/byg/amd/nur)