One-sided political talk show

From Media Indonesia

My friend and I, now experiencing a political euphoria, are disappointed every time we watch the program Detak Detik Pemilu, broadcast simultaneously by all private TV stations. The talk show is hosted by Wimar Witoelar.

1. The program is not neutral. It has become a platform to force one's own will by supporting a certain political party so its chairperson will become president.

2. The participants are all in favor of a certain political party, except for Adnan Buyung Nasution.

3. Phone-ins attacking that party are ignored or cut off by Wimar so the participants are not given the opportunity to reply to questions by viewers. The organizers do not take into account the great difficulty getting a telephone connection. Strangely, the people whose calls go through are those in favor of the party. I suspect that the program may be engineered to support the party.

4. The PPI (Indonesian Elections Committee) representative is always Jacob Tobing, who is a functionary of the party favored by the program. There are actually others, like Hasballah M. Saad and Djuhad Mahya, the PPI deputy chairman. It is unfair. The General Elections Commission is represented by a variety of people.

Based on the above reasons I appeal to the government, especially the PPI, the Information Ministry and related agencies to stop the program that keeps people ignorant and imposes its will on them.

FAOZAN AMAR

Semarang