Govt's humorless stance no laughing matter for press

JAKARTA (JP): The government's failure to grasp humorous intent could threaten the existence of the country's press, speakers in a discussion on a responsible press agreed here yesterday.

Human rights campaigner Marzuki Darusman, social psychologist Sartono Mukadis and senior journalist Susanto Pudjomartono addressed a short course for journalists at the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute (LPDS).

The three referred to the response of several government officials to the D&R newsweekly's cover last month, which had a photograph of President Soeharto imposed on a playing card.

Then information minister R. Hartono accused the magazine of defaming the President and vowed to sue its editors. The Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) agreed with the government's take on the cover, and imposed sanctions against the magazine's editors.

"The government's sense of humor must be questioned in this case," said Marzuki, responding to a question from one of the 50 participants in the course.

The journalist had wondered why the government perceived the magazine's cover as likening Soeharto to a king when the letter "P" for President was in the playing card's corners.

Susanto, editor of The Jakarta Post, and Sartono agreed with Marzuki.

Speaking from a psychological interpretation, Sartono said: "When we lose our sense of humor, it's a symptom of a serious neurosis.

"Forgive me, I don't mean to hurt anyone, but when we can't laugh at ourselves anymore, it's a sign of a mental breakdown."

But Marzuki also praised the government for its recent stance on the press. For instance, the government has promised there will be no more press bans and that it would seek legal recourse in the event of violations by the media.

This meant, he added, the journalists association would have a greater role in seeking solutions when problems occurred.

"This is good," Marzuki said, "but it (the PWI) must be pushed to come up with a quality conclusion and recommendation when it is deciding on a case."

The government last revoked the publishing licenses of three respected weeklies -- Tempo, Editor and DeTik -- in 1994.

The PWI has warned the Indonesian media that even without threat of revocation of publishing licenses hanging over its head, a publication could still be forced to close down if it had to contend with either criminal or civil lawsuits. It called earlier this week for the press to be objective and give balanced coverage, including on the ongoing student demonstrations for reform. (aan)