President Habibie's press warning gets mixed reactions

JAKARTA (JP): Political observers Andi Muis and J. Kristiadi have said that President B.J. Habibie's concern over the abuse of press freedom were groundless, but Muslim scholar Abdurrahman Wahid said he shared Habibie's opinion, pointing out that he himself had become a victim of the press.

Andi, who is a communications law professor at Hasanuddin University in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, said that he did not think the press had gone "too far." But he agreed that the recent criticism should serve to strengthen the press and the country.

"No single country in the world was ever destroyed by its press freedom," he said, quoting a recent statement by the Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus.

Kristiadi, who is a researcher at the Centre for International and Strategic Studies (CSIS), described the national press' response to its newfound freedom as "normal." He pointed out that the public was now able to discern the credible media from those which he termed "bombastic".

"Untrustworthy elements of the media will be abandoned by its readers and eventually die," he said.

He called on Habibie's administration not to attempt to control the press, a call echoed by Andi Muis.

"A repressive approach through the revocation of publishing licenses, as the government used in the past, would only ruin Habibie's credibility," he said, adding that his tolerance of press freedom was the only selling point that Habibie still had.

On Tuesday, Habibie said the abuse of press freedom had reached an alarming level.

While delivering the 1999/2000 state budget to a plenary session of the House of Representatives, Habibie reminded the media of its responsibility to preserve national unity, which he said was important in the context of building a modern civil society.

He pleaded for media employees to act professionally and to consider what constituted violations of the press code of ethics.

Abdurrahman, who is better known as Gus Dur, said Habibie's remarks should do the press good.

Abdurrahman charged the press here with sensationalism and blowing small matters up into big news.

"I myself am a victim of the press... my every move is watched and sometimes the press land me in uncomfortable situations when they misinterpret my words," he said after a ceremony to receive S$12 million (US$7.2 million) in humanitarian aid from the Singapore government at his residence in the Ciganjur subdistrict of South Jakarta on Wednesday.

"Sometimes my words are twisted, too," he added.

However, Abdurrahman disagreed with any form of press ban.

"I do not want any press publications to be banned because I think the media is playing an important role in this country's struggle during the reform era."

"But I believe that the press must be open to criticism and be willing to change its bad habits... for the sake of this nation," he said.

He also called on the public to help control the press.

He called on the media to be professional, independent and not to be used as a tool to serve the interests of certain parties.

Andi speculated that Habibie's worries about the abuse of press freedom arose after senior media figures recently stated their wish to become the fourth force in Indonesia after the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government.

Andi agreed that press publications should not be banned or face having their publishing licenses revoked, and said that the press code of ethics and criminal laws were adequate to bring any errant writers and publications to heel.

"The most important thing is that journalists observe their code of ethics," he said. (imn/edt)