Minister says 'D&R' cover degrading

JAKARTA (JP): Information Minister R. Hartono blasted Detektif dan Romantika (D&R) weekly magazine yesterday for portraying President Soeharto on the magazine's cover this week as the king of spades.

"In my opinion it is very degrading because Soeharto is not a king, and we do not have a kingdom here," Hartono said.

"You all know that President Soeharto was elected by the country's representatives to head this country, whereas a king ascends to the throne," he said.

However, Hartono said he would not react hastily to the cover.

He said he would first give a verbal warning followed by a written warning to the publication.

"It (the cover) may just be an error, an oversight but one thing for sure this is not a game anymore," he said.

"It is rude and vulgar and does not appreciate the legislative process of our country," he said.

Bambang Bujono, one of D&R's executives, said last night that the magazine's cover was not intended to convey the meaning interpreted by the minister.

"Our objective, as we wrote in the Perspectives column on Page 3 of the magazine, is that no matter how many times we turn the card, President Soeharto will still be elected (as the incoming president)."

He said the picture was chosen mainly for its artistic content and it was considered attractive enough for a magazine cover.

"We have tried to make the cover as good as possible," he said, adding that the magazine had no intention of denigrating anyone.

Asked whether there was a possibility that D&R would be closed down like Tempo weekly was in 1994, Hartono reiterated that closing down a publication was no longer a government choice.

"I have said, over and over again, that any mistakes or errors are going to be settled in court," he said.

The March 7 edition of D&R had a king of spades with Soeharto's face on its cover. (das)