Press turn against own organization for backing bans

JAKARTA (JP): Reporters vented their fury over the press ban at the Association of Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) for expressing its "understanding" of the government's action.

About 100 banner-waving reporters and activists marched to the association's premises in Central Jakarta and urged Minister of Information Harmoko to lift the ban.

While expressing its concern over the bans and the fates of those at the weeklies who lost their jobs, PWI has said it "could understand" the government's crackdown on the press.

The protesters said the association should tell the government that the press ban has created public unrest rather than strengthen national stability as was intended.

The protesters, mostly clad in black T-shirts, gathered outside the Press Council building in Central Jakarta after being denied entry by PWI secretary general Parni Hadi on the grounds that the building's parking lot was too small to accommodate them.

Dozens of anti-riot police armed with clubs and shields stayed alert near the Press Council building, blocking the protesters' way into the compound. No untoward incident occurred however.

The journalists were among the more than 300 from Jakarta and other cities throughout Indonesia who signed the petition deploring last month's bans on Tempo, DeTIK and Editor magazines.

Tempo lost its publishing license for its editorial content while DeTIK and Editor lost theirs because their operations violated the terms of the licenses. The government claims that the magazines had ignored repeated warnings.

Five representatives of the journalists met with Parni Hadi, secretary of the PWI, member of the association's honorary council, R.H. Siregar, and coordinator of PWI's welfare section Sondang Meliala to present their petition.

The journalists said through a statement that they deplore the bans and are disappointed by the stance of PWI's caretakers who had said they "understand" the bans.

"We deplore the revocation of the publishing licenses which abuses the institution, profession and existence of journalism, more so amid all the slogans on openness and human rights currently heard in this country," said the statement. "The decisions are unjust. We are concerned that the muzzling of the three media will have a prolonged effect."

They also called for an end to the practice of allowing the Minister and Director General for Press and Graphics to hold the respective posts of chairman and secretary of the Press Council.

During a hearing at the House of Representatives (DPR), Harmoko rejected calls to reverse his decision to ban the magazines, saying that the government could issue new licenses to them.

Harmoko said that the move was legal and consistent with the 1982 Press Law, adding that reversing the decisions would run counter to the law.

Satrio Arismunandar, a delegation member, told his anxious colleagues after the 90-minute meeting that PWI executives agreed that the Press Law contains ambiguities.

"PWI promises to help the struggle for our demands," said Satrio, a reporter of Kompas daily.

The four other delegates are Maria Hartiningsih (Kompas), Benny Harman (Media Indonesia daily), Meirizal Zulkarnain and Hasudungan Sirait (both are reporters of Bisnis Indonesia daily).

Hartiningsih disclosed that the meeting ended hastily with many issues left unresolved, "The security people kept telling PWI executives that things were getting hot outside, and that the negotiations should end quickly."

PWI's central executive board said that it was concerned about the employees of the banned magazines. It urged "all parties" to help create a favorable situation so that new licenses could be issued quickly.

Meanwhile yesterday, in an open letter addressed to President Soeharto regarding the ban, the Bandung-based Institute for Strategic and Islamic Studies said the revocations would only make the journalists afraid to report the truth.

Also yesterday, the Nusantara Legal Aid Foundation protested against the ban during a solidarity meeting for the three banned magazines conducted by the Christian Student Movement (GMKI) in Bandung on Monday. The fate of an activist arrested by the authorities in the meeting was also not known, said the foundation. (team)