PWI Jaya's team to defend 'Tajuk'
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta chapter of the government-backed Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI Jaya) has set up a team of legal advisors to defend the Tajuk fortnightly should the Jakarta Military Command file a lawsuit against the magazine.
The move could be dubbed as an extraordinary maneuver, as the association had for many years been lacking in a show of support of the media, particularly when the latter was dealing with the authorities.
PWI Jaya's deputy chairman, Ilham Bintang, said on Friday that the defense team, made up mostly of journalists and members of the association, was set up also at the request of Tajuk's chief editor, Mohammad Cholid.
Ilham said team members, headed by Bachtiar Sitanggang, are Omar Samsoeri (Kompas), Wina Armada (Forum), Bob Silitonga (Berita Yudha) and Timbo Siahaan (Jayakarta).
However, Ilham did not elaborate on whether the team would fully act as lawyers for Tajuk but, he said, PWI Jaya still welcomed any lawyer from legal organizations to join in.
Three days earlier, the city military command publicly announced that it would sue the magazine over its Sept. 3 report alleging complicity of the command and its former chief Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin in the mid-May riot.
Besides claiming a criminal law violation, the command is also seeking damages of about Rp 600 billion from the magazine for defamation.
PWI Jaya chairman Tarman Azzam said his organization appreciated the decision taken by the city military commander Maj. Gen. Djadja Suparman to apply such a legal procedure.
"But we'd like to suggest that the Jakarta Military Command use procedural means in stages before bringing this matter to the court.
"For example, the command could first ask for its right to clarify the report," he said in a statement on Friday.
The magazine's reports included allegations of an involvement of then Jakarta Military commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and his men in the mid-May riots and the recent abduction of several activists. (ivy)