PPP suggests dialog to end media ban crisis

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) suggested Saturday that the press, government and public hold a national dialog to harmonize the perception as to what constitutes a free and responsible press.

Chairwoman of Commission I for defense, security, foreign affairs and information of the House of Representatives (DPR) Aisyah Aminy said that the concept needs to be clarified in order to prevent future press bans.

Aisyah was speaking to a delegation from the banned Tempo and DeTik news magazines during a hearing with the PPP faction.

"The appeal for a national dialog has already been addressed to Minister of Information Harmoko," she said.

Last Wednesday evening Harmoko rejected demands to reverse his decision to revoke the publishing licenses for Tempo, DeTik and Editor, and suggested instead that they apply for new permits.

By law, a publishing permit cannot be revived after it is revoked.

The minister also agreed that something must be done to assist the magazines' 800 journalists and employees who have been displaced by the bans.

Another faction member, Hamzah Haz, urged the government to solve the problem of the press bans as soon as possible in order to avoid further problems.

Goenawan Mohamad and Eros Djarot, who headed the delegation, expressed their disappointment over the closure of the three magazines during the hearing.

They urged the government to allow the three magazines to resume publication because they considered the revocations of their licenses to be illegal.

Both Goenawan and Eros and their delegation have already visited the DPR several times for meetings with Commission I and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction to seek their support. They also paid a visit to the National Commission on Human Rights.

Regret

Eros in a statement made available to the press yesterday expressed regret at Harmoko's statement as quoted by Kompas daily last week.

Harmoko had stated that although the law stipulates that the national press cannot be banned, it instead authorizes the government to close down a media for printing stories that run counter to the Pancasila state ideology, or ones that propagate communism or Marxism-Leninism.

Eros reminded that no one on DeTik's staff is either a communist or a Marxist.

Meanwhile, the PDI faction held a meeting with a Group of Women for the Support of the Liberal Press on Friday.

The meeting, which was also attended by DPR members Sukowaluyo, Marcel Beding and Marsinggih Mardani, listened to the group's statement of opposition to the press ban.

The group also urged the DPR to conduct a legislative review of the press law which they thought was against the 1945 Constitution.

The group consists of representatives from nine Non- governmental Organizations and individuals, including Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, Julia I Suryakusuma and Wardah Hafidz. (05)