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)