NU kicks 'Neraca' out of office in ownership row

JAKARTA (JP): The Neraca business daily will have to temporarily suspend publication until Tuesday after its office on Jl. Jambrut in Central Jakarta was emptied by local City Public Order officials over an ownership dispute with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

Neraca, published by PT Persindotama Antarnusa, claimed the building was granted by the Jakarta Military Command in 1967, but the NU, a strong Muslim organization once chaired by Abdurrahman Wahid, insisted it bought it from the rightful owner.

Efforts to empty the building were initially resisted by the daily's employees, including those from the editorial staff.

The officials loaded all furniture, computers and files into waiting trucks.

The furniture had been moved first, leaving the computers on the floor.

"Darn, where is my desk? How can I save my files if they move my things just like that," a Neraca reporter, Rustam, said in frustration.

His friends tried to calm him down.

Another reporter, Hindarto, said the journalists and employees tried to stop the officials, but they were outnumbered.

"They smashed through the front door and started to carry out our stuff. There was nothing we could do," he said.

Most seemed shocked as they watched the officials carry out their belongings.

Besides the officials, there were also about 20 police officers of the Central Jakarta Police lead by deputy chief Asst. Supt. Iza Fadry.

The building's contents were taken by truck to Neraca's new offices on Jl. Cimandiri, which is about 600 meters from the disputed location.

Chairman of the NU construction project committee, Manarul Hidayat, insisted that his organization did not ask the officials to remove the contents of the premises.

"We are the owners. We bought this plot of land from its rightful owner. We didn't ask the city officials to remove the contents from the building," he said.

"Leave NU out of it. They've got nothing to do with it," he added.

His statement, however, contradicted a media statement released by his committee on July 21, which stated that the NU had requested the help of several city agencies to empty the building.

Along with the statement, the committee also attached copies of several documents issued this year that supported its right to the premises.

A city official also confirmed that the removal of the contents of the building was carried out based on NU's request.

"We're just lending a hand to help out NU, which asked us to help them empty the building," the secretary for the Central Jakarta Public Order Office, Rustam Effendi, said.

"We've looked into the case and found the plot of land indeed belongs to Salim, and not Neraca," he added.

A man named Salim Muhammad, who claims to be a relative of the real owners, the family of the late Said bin Abid Alwini, said the building was sold by them on March 15 of this year to NU.

"This is the second transaction because the first one (also to NU) in 1958 wasn't facilitated with the proper documents," he said.

Salim said his family did not sell or give the land and building to any other party.

He said Said bin Abid Alwini first bought the 670-square-meter plot of land from Abid bin Awad Alwani and a 816-square-meter plot from Sayid Muhammad Al Idrus in 1953.

Salim, however, failed to produce any proof of ownership of the disputed plot.

"You don't get it, do you? I'm representing the rightful owner. We haven't arrived to that part yet," he repeatedly said when asked about the proof of ownership.

Meanwhile, Neraca chief editor Masmimar Mangiang said the daily had occupied the building since 1967.

"It all started with the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI) student publication, which was the seed of the current Neraca. We knew that we were occupying a building without a clear ownership title," he said.

"But we tried to find out whether we could buy or rent it from its rightful owner. We were honest about it," added Masmimar.

He said, the Jakarta Military Command allowed Neraca to occupy the building in 1967 on the grounds that it belonged to the Chinese government.

The Indonesian government confiscated all Chinese government assets following the abortive coup in 1965.

Masmimar felt he was treated unfairly by the authorities.

"I suspect that the city administration and court are under great pressure from those in power. I'm wandering why it was the NU who asked for the removal and not the owner, whoever he or she is," he said.

"But we'll keep fighting for the building and hope that we can publish Neraca again on Tuesday," he said. (nvn)