Harmoko says Indonesian press guilty of bias, slander

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian press gets another rebuke in the course of only a few days.

Minister of Information Harmoko said here yesterday that the press should refrain from making slanderous and biased reports if it wants to maintain its credibility.

The first criticism came from the military on Friday when Lt. Gen. R. Hartono, the chief of social and political affairs, rapped the press for publishing biased reports and over exposing issues.

Harmoko, speaking after inducting the new board of the Indonesian Press Council, said the press should not violate its code of ethics by publishing slander.

"Apply the concept of the freedom of the press in mature ways which are harmonious with society," he urged. "Applying freedom concepts which are derived from value system other than our Pancasila will create damaging distortions, and even cause social upheavals."

The press still has a responsibility to exercise control over the government and society, in order to create a "dynamic national stability", he said. However, the press should use its power constructively and in line with Indonesia's culture and manners.

Acting responsibly would earn the press credibility, he said. "When you lose that credibility, it's a calamity for yourself."

"The press is not a favored institution which...is exempted from the stipulations of professionalism and credibility," he said.

There are only a few new faces in the line-up of the Indonesian Press Council, the watchdog of the Indonesian press, for the period 1993-1996. Among the few, new members are political scientists Dr. Juwono Sudarsono and Dr. Anwar Arifin.

Harmoko retains the chairmanship and Director-General of Press and Graphics Development Subrata keeps the secretary general post.

Other members are Moslem scholar Dr. Nurcholis Madjid, Director of Social and Political Affairs of the Home Affairs Ministry Soetojo NK, and the information ministry's Secretary General Emir H. Mangaweang.

Representatives from the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) appointed to the council include Sofyan Lubis, Parni Hadi, Atang Ruswita, Tribuana Said MDS, M. Zaki Abdullah, Syamsul Basri, Made Nariana, and Djohar Hamid.

Representatives from the Newspaper Publisher Association are Jacob Oetama, M. Soegeng Widjaja, Handjojo Nitimihardjo, Toety Azis, L.E. Manuhua, and Kusfandi.

Meanwhile, the Honorary Council of PWI issued a statement yesterday expressing concern about the press' tendencies to publish imbalanced reports bordering on trial by the press.

The council deplored newspapers and magazines which published classified state letters and documents, and dramatized issues.

"These tendencies are clearly not helping to strengthen political openness," the statement said. (swe)