LoI signing moved after press boycott

LoI signing moved after press boycott

JAKARTA (JP): A boycott by Palace journalists protesting
coverage restrictions forced the signing of the Letter of Intent
between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the government
to be moved from its original venue at Bina Graha Presidential
Office on Wednesday.

About 100 journalists who have access to the palace compound
refused to cover the planned signing ceremony or any other
presidential activity despite repeated appeals from Cabinet
Secretary Marsilam Simajuntak.

"We decided not to cover the President's activities today
because we can no longer tolerate restrictions when it comes to
access to information," Lukman Alpayana, chairman of the
association of journalists who cover presidential palace, told
Marsilam.

The conflict of interest had been brewing for some time and
journalists claimed their access to visiting officials at the
palace was limited and that they were often sequestered.

Compared to his predecessors B.J. Habibie and Soeharto,
President Abdurrahman Wahid has personally been more accessible
to the press.

He holds regular press conferences, and never hesitates to
answer even the most sensitive questions.

But recently there have been discernible signs which have
raised alarm among press circles, especially when Abdurrahman
failed to condemn intimidation by Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) civilian
guards at the Jawa Pos daily office.

Abdurrahman has also been increasingly blaming the press for
abusing statements made by himself or state officials.

Despite the apparent era of "openness", journalists at the
palace have in the past seven-months lost two press rooms which
they occupied for decades.

Journalists are no longer allowed to use a ward adjacent to
Merdeka Palace which, according to senior journalists, was
inaugurated by President Sukarno as a press room in the 1960s.

The room was also often used for press conferences during the
Soeharto era.

It has now been taken over and used by the President's four
adjutants.

As a result of this, journalists covering Abdurrahman Wahid's
activities at Merdeka Palace, his official residence, must wait
out in the open because journalists are not allowed to enter the
building.

In February, newly appointed Secretary of Government
Supervision Bondan Gunawan occupied the other strategically
located press room opposite the President's working room at Bina
Graha. From this room journalists could easily view the
President's guests.

Bondan said he wanted to use the room as his office, although
he had already been allocated a large office at a building
located next to the Bina Graha building.

Bondan then provided a new press room at the back of the Bina
Graha building which is isolated far from most presidential
activity.

With frustrations at a pitch, events exploded on Wednesday
morning when chief of Presidential Security Guard's Group A
(Paspampres), Col. Otte Ruchiyat, barred journalists from waiting
for ministers in front of the presidential office as is the
customary practice.

Then, later inside the room where the Cabinet meeting took
place, journalists were also restricted from the normal practice
of approaching ministers before the meeting began to get
firsthand information from them.

Enraged, the journalists then decided to boycott the important
signing ceremony of the Letter of Intent at Bina Graha on
Wednesday afternoon.

The ceremony was to be attended by the President.

Coordinating Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry Kwik
Kian Gie, Minister of Finance Bambang Sudibyo, Bank Indonesia
Governor Sjahril Sabirin and IMF official Joshua Felman waited
for 30 minutes as Marsilam negotiated with journalists.

"This signing is very important for the country, please cover
it and then we will discuss your complaints," Marsilam told
journalists.

But his pleas failed as officials decided to move the ceremony
to the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) on Jl.
Diponegoro, Central Jakarta.

The president did not attend the eventual ceremony.

"This walkout is only for one day, but we hope the government
will be ready to accommodate us," Lukman said. (mds/prb/dja)