PWI annuls support for `Simponi'

PWI annuls support for `Simponi'

JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Indonesian Journalists (PWI)
yesterday withdrew its recommendation to the chief editor of
Simponi only a day after the weekly magazine launched its first
new-look edition.

The Jakarta branch of PWI announced that it was withdrawing
its support, given in 1985, to Syamsu Hadi to serve as the
magazine's chief editor because he failed to carry out the terms
of the recommendation in accordance with the association's rules,
the Antara news agency reported.

Chairman of PWI's Greater Jakarta branch Tarman Azzam told
Antara that the association has given Syamsu Hadi three months to
present a new line-up of Simponi's editorial board, which is made
up mostly of journalists from the banned DeTIK magazine.

Tarman said Syamsu's mistakes included his failure to report
to the PWI Jaya of new "ready-made" reporters working in the
magazine.

The PWI recommendation is crucial in support of the magazine's
publishing license which is issued by the government. Its
withdrawal could jeopardize the magazine's publishing license.

Simponi was originally a magazine associated with the defunct
Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI). In August, its proprietor
entered into a cooperation agreement with the proprietors of
DeTIK. The first edition of Simponi's revamped version hit the
streets on Tuesday.

Simponi editors could not be contacted for comment last night.

"They're having a late meeting," one of the magazine's
staffers said by phone.

The proprietor of DeTIK had earlier said that the decision to
join forces with Simponi was made chiefly to keep their young
journalists employed. They said they were pessimistic about
getting a new publishing license. (emb/sim)