Observers condemn action of Banser
Observers condemn action of Banser
JAKARTA (JP): Media organizations and observers condemned on
Sunday the exaggerated action of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) civilian
guards in Surabaya, who rallied at and occupied the Jawa Pos
daily's offices for reporting alleged corruption practices by
executives of the country's largest Muslim organization.
The occupation caused the daily to forego its Sunday edition,
resulting in a total loss of Rp 1 billion, its managing editor,
Arief Affandi, said.
The civilian guards, popularly called Banser, were annoyed by
a special report entitled "PKB feels the heat, NU sets up a
clarification team" in the Saturday edition of one of the
country's leading dailies.
In the report, the newspaper told of rumors about an alleged
transfer of Rp 35 billion (US$4.37 million) in funds from the
State Logistics Agency (Bulog) to a non-governmental organization
(NGO) linked to Hasyim Wahid, the brother of President
Abdurrahman Wahid, a former NU chairman and founder of the
National Awakening Party (PKB).
Quoting Tempo magazine, the daily mistakenly named NU chairman
Hasyim Muzadi. The paper reported that State Minister of
Investment and State Enterprises Development Rozy Munir, who is
also an NU executive, received bribes amounting to Rp 10 billion
from state company officials and a Volvo sedan.
In his capacity as chairman of Bulog, deputy chief of Bulog
Sapuan, who later in February ordered the agency to make the fund
transfer, confirmed the deal but asserted that the transaction
was a loan fully secured by property.
He declined to disclose name of the borrower but reasserted
that the fund was transferred as a loan and the deal had nothing
to do with his ambition to be appointed Bulog chief.
President Abdurrahman, or Gus Dur as he is also known,
categorically denied the report on Saturday.
After a meeting with Banser executives on Sunday evening, the
daily's management agreed to apologize by running a front-page
notice for a week and a story to rectify the controversial
report.
Arief said Jawa Pos would also meet the protesters' demand to
build a mosque, but not for Rp 35 billion as previously demanded.
The Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI), Media Consumer
Institute (LKM), Surabaya Legal Aid Institute (LBH) and Surabaya
Women's Advocacy Forum condemned the use of force by Banser
activists.
"We demand that NU executives apologize to the public and
media consumers for demonstrating a culture of violence," the
four organizations said in a joint statement on Sunday.
"The move is a crime against humanity, especially the freedom
of the press and public's right to access of information ," the
statement said, as quoted by Antara.
It such conduct would encourage militarism and halt the
democratization process.
The organizations called all parties, including sources, media
organizations and consumers, who are affected by the media
reports, to proportionally respond through legal means and the
right to reply, which are common in journalism.
Arief regretted the incident, which he said could serve as a
precedent for further uses of mob threats to press freedom.
"We decided not to publish the Sunday edition since we
technically and psychologically could not work that night," Arief
told The Jakarta Post.
He said dozens of Banser members had occupied the daily's
office since Saturday afternoon, switching off the reporters'
computers and disconnecting telephone lines.
He said that up to midnight on Saturday, the daily's editorial
team was only able to complete six of the planned 24 pages for
the Sunday edition.
According to Arief, the daily's reports over NU were so far
complied with the principles of impartiality and coverage of both
sides.
Communications professor Andi Muis regretted the decision of
Jawa Pos to succumb to the protesters' demands.
"It's too much. It could be a bad precedent, where is the
pride of the daily?," Muis told the Post on Sunday.
He called on media and related organizations to set up a joint
solidarity reaction for the daily.
He condemned Banser for violating human rights, saying that
the move could threaten the profession of journalism.
"It's like under the New Order regime. It's like a ban," Muis
from the Makassar-based Hasanuddin University said, referring to
the administration of former president Soeharto.
He said that while under Soeharto, the ban was imposed by the
state, this time around it is forced by mass organizations.
Muis called on the public who suffered damages inflicted by
the media to take legal action.
Meanwhile, NU's East Java chapter chairman Ali Maschan Musa
regretted the civilian guards' move although he said he could
understand the protesters' feelings.
"The move was lamentable. But it could be understood," Ali
said on Sunday.
He claimed NU's chairman Hasyim Muzadi only asked the daily to
apologize, saying that Tempo had also apologized for it's similar
report.
East Java is a stronghold of NU.
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, AJI's local chapter and the
Journalists Joint Forum (Forbes) also condemned Banser on Sunday
for using the manner of hoodlums to pressure the daily.
"AJI's view is that NU followers are undemocratic. They should
take legal action if they thought the newspaper slandered them,"
AJI's Nasru Alam Aziz said.
"Gus Dur should be responsible for the shameful incident,"
Forbes' spokesman Ma'ruf Ibrahim added. (27/nur/jun)