Newspaper's editorial staff asked to resign

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta State Administrative High Court was notified on Wednesday that the board of commissioners of PT Media Interaksi Utama (PT MIU), the publisher of Suara Pembaruan daily, had officially asked the paper's general manager, Albert Hasibuan, editor-in-chief Sutarno and director Soedarjo to resign.

Petron Curie Nadeak, an editor for the daily who took the witness stand in the trial of the dispute between PT Media Interaksi Utama and an arbitration body at the Ministry of Manpower said on Wednesday the board of commissioners sent an official letter dated March 31, 1995 asking Albert Hasibuan, Sutarno and Soedarjo to step down.

The publisher is involved in a legal battle with the arbitration body at the Jakarta State Administrative High Court for annulling its decision to dismiss six reporters and editors, including Petron.

"The board of commissioners, however, agreed to give them time until the end of their terms of office in June 1995 when they (Albert, Sutarno and Soedarjo) promised to resolve the problem inside the daily and to resign together afterwards. But apparently, the problem still persists, and they are still around," Petron told the court, presided over by Judge Fatimah Achyar.

"Instead of trying to resolve the problem, they even restructured the editorial department on Aug. 19, 1994 by, among other things, dismissing some editorial staff," Petron said.

Petron was the second witness in the session yesterday. The first witness was Marah Sakti Siregar, the secretary-general of the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI Jaya).

Rem Pattikawa, the lawyer for PT MIU, raised an objection to Petron testifying at the trial because he was one of the parties in dispute. The session continued, however.

Marah Sakti said that PT MIU had not yet settled the dispute with its staff properly, based on article 28 of Ministry of Information Decree No. 1/1984.

The decree requires any publishers to settle disputes with their employees amicably before asking PWI Jaya to arbitrate the dispute.

"PT MIU reported the case to the Jakarta provincial arbitration body after PWI Jaya settled the dispute on Nov. 12, 1994," Marah Sakti said.

The trial was adjourned until July 31. (26)