Journalists, NGOs demand action against councillor

Journalists, NGOs demand action against councillor

Oyos Saroso HN
The Jakarta Post
Bandarlampung

Around 150 journalists and activists from various non-
governmental organizations here rallied on Monday to demand that
the Lampung Provincial Legislative Council take action against a
councillor for his alleged thuggish behavior.

The protesters also urged the legislature as an institution to
apologize for the bad behavior of the councillor, Fauzi Makki,
and set up a disciplinary committee to quiz him over a series of
offenses he has allegedly committed.

The rally coordinator, Iswadi Pratama, said the protesters had
lost their patience after Fauzi insulted the journalistic
profession during a hearing between councillors and provincial
administration officials in charge of budget affairs last
Wednesday.

"His offensive remarks in an official forum show that he wants
to curtail the freedom of the press. That's why not only Fauzi
but also the legislative council has to apologize," Iswadi told a
group of councillors who received the protesters.

Fauzi, who has been dismissed by the Crescent and Star Party
but keeps his legislative seat as an independent, openly insulted
journalists during the hearing. His remarks followed press
coverage of the councillors' demands for additional facilities,
including houses and cars, to be paid for by the provincial
administration out of a supplementary budget.

A journalist from the Lampung Post daily, Yunita Savitri,
claimed that Fauzi tried to physically chase her after the
hearing. Fauzi also reportedly sent thugs to intimidate Center
for Strategy and Policy Studies activists, whose director was one
of the sources quoted in the daily's report, which appeared in
its May 28 edition.

Lampung's chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists
(AJI) has recorded four examples of abusive behavior by Fauzi
against journalists, including his threat to kill a Trans Sumatra
daily reporter.

Midway through the meeting with the journalists, Fauzi
appeared and openly apologized for his insulting remarks. But the
Lampung Post's chief editor Bambang Eka Wijaya said the case had
not ended with Fauzi's apology. He said he had filed a libel suit
against the councillor.

During the meeting, AJI chairman Ridwan Saifuddin called for a
boycott of the council if it continued to protect members who
violated the law.