Magazine bans concern Keating

JAKARTA (JP): Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating expressed his disappointment yesterday at Indonesia's ban of three magazines which he said is not consistent with the openness it is now vigorously pursuing.

Keating told reporters after meeting with President Soeharto that he raised the issue of the magazine bans in the context of the opening up of Indonesia's economy.

"The government of Australia ...has therefore been disappointed at the press closures which appear to conflict, or at least contrast, with the openness which had generally occurred in the Indonesian economy," he said at the Grand Hyatt hotel.

Three prominent news magazines, Tempo, Editor and DeTIK lost their publishing licenses last week because of operational and editorial considerations.

Keating had been under pressure from the Australian press and the opposition party to raise the question of the press bans with Soeharto before coming here for a three-day visit on Monday.

Some even suggested that the prime minister boycott the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Indonesia in November.

Keating, who is here to launch a major Australian trade promotion campaign, told the press conference yesterday that the press ban was the internal affair of Indonesia.

"But that doesn't preclude us from expressing our view about it, which I did," said the prime minister, who three months ago said that no country is more important to Australia than Indonesia.

Keating today is scheduled to launch a major business forum which is part of the on-going Australia Today Indonesia 1994 promotional campaign.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono confirmed yesterday that the two leaders discussed the press bans.

"The President explained the government's motive for making the ban... in the context of explaining each other's current domestic situation," Moerdiono told reporters.

According to Keating, Soeharto considered it very important that national stability and unity were to be taken into consideration in the society, and that the journals in question "had put national unity and stability at risk".

Development

Soeharto expressed his view on the role of the media in relation to the need to keep a singular focus on Indonesia's development at this particular time of rapid economic growth, Keating said.

"He (Soeharto) thought it was now a time for a clear unity of purpose and not for the nagging away at divisions," he added.

Expressing his and Australia's view on the issue, Keating pointed out that the opening up of an economy "brings with it a chance for the transmission of information which is best accomplished in a plural media".

"Therefore, it follows that as the Indonesian economy and society opens up, its media should have the chance to reflect those changes," he said.

Keating said his meeting with Soeharto mainly focused the rapid developments of bilateral and regional trade, cultural exchanges and the upcoming APEC summit.

Keating is hopeful that meeting would receive great international attention, "probably even more than it did in Seattle" -- the venue of the first and previous summit last year.

Keating acknowledged that Australia was very heartened by the tendency toward more openness in Indonesia's trade, especially with the recent issuance of deregulations on imports and on foreign investment in the country.

The two leaders also agreed to increase bilateral trade to gradually reduce Indonesia's deficit with Australia.

Two-way trade between the two countries currently reaches more than US$2.2 billion a year while Australian exports to Indonesia have tripled over the past six years.(pwn)

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