Internal trouble brewing at `Suara Pembaruan'

Internal trouble brewing at `Suara Pembaruan'

JAKARTA (JP): Trouble is brewing Suara Pembaruan, one of
Indonesia's oldest and leading daily newspapers, with many of its
journalists accusing the management of failure to improve the
daily's waning performance.

The journalists, both younger and senior members of the staff,
blame the daily's declining circulation and poor editorial
performance on General Manager Albert Hasibuan and Editor-in-
Chief Sutarno because "they are incapable of managing Suara
Pembaruan in a professional way."

Yesterday, the disgruntled journalists of the Jakarta-based
evening paper planned to take their case to the House of
Representatives (DPR). However, they failed to meet the members
of the dominant Golkar faction they wanted to see because they
were held up by traffic. The journalists turned up at the DPR
building later than they had planned.

The journalists said they will return to see the legislators
next Wednesday.

One Suara Pembaruan journalist, who requested anonymity, told
The Jakarta Post that the daily's editorial problems include the
duplication of news stories in a single edition, incorrect
editing, and poor news selection.

He said that more than 50 journalists, including seniors ones,
are opposing the daily's present management policy.

They blamed the management for failing to fulfill their
promise to improve the daily's performance, which also involves
the journalists' welfare.

The management's authoritative stance was shown when it
temporarily relieved six journalists of their duties because they
had the "courage to offer improvement concepts" last year. The
journalists were later reinstated.

"The improvements they promise never materialize," he said.

The Indonesian Journalists Association, and the Ministry of
Information, at the urging of the journalists, have reportedly
advised the daily's management to solve the problem, but no
response has been made.

"We have become impatient, and without any intention to
degrade the management, we're lodging our complaint with Golkar,"
he said. (par)