PWI, SPS hail government's press gesture

JAKARTA (JP): The associations of journalists and publishers, PWI and SPS respectively, yesterday hailed the government's offer to issue new publishing licenses to journalists and employees of three magazines that were closed down last week.

"The offer is in accordance with our request and our expectations," PWI Secretary General Parni Hadi said.

"It is a proof that the government has listened to our request that they allow the three magazines to resume publication," SPS's secretary general Bagjo Purwantho was quoted as saying by Antara.

However, issuing new publishing licenses is, by no means, the same as reversing the decision to ban the three, Bagjo said.

"A new publishing license is like a new house. As a consequence, its household, its name and its perspective must, of course, be new," Bagjo said.

Minister of Information Harmoko on Wednesday night rejected demands for him to reverse his decision to revoke the publishing licenses for Tempo, DeTIK and Editor news magazines, but suggested that they apply for new permits.

By regulation, once a publishing permit is revoked, it cannot be revived.

Meanwhile, a limited cabinet meeting led by Coordinating Minister of Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman yesterday discussed the banning of the three magazines.

The meeting, which was also attended by Harmoko, agreed that the government had followed all procedures before deciding to revoke the publishing permits of the three magazines, Soesilo told reporters afterwards.

The ministers also agreed that something must be done to assist the magazines' 800 journalists and employees who have been displaced by the bans and that the best solution is to issue them new licenses, Soesilo said.

He added however that the journalists and employees of the magazines must decide how soon they want to apply for the new licenses and whether or not they can meet the terms stipulated with the issuance of the permits.

The meeting yesterday also agreed that journalists -- the editors in particular -- have a responsibility to ensure national discipline, including in writing and presenting their news, Soesilo said.

They must avoid interpretations which could damage stability and break up national unity. "Please write with wisdom," he said.

The minister denied that Tempo lost its license because of the way it reported the controversy over the government's plan to procure 39 warships from Germany.

Harmoko, during a hearing with the Commission I of the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening, listed a number of articles in Tempo that he said had offended many people, but the report on the German ships was not one of them.

He cited one article entitled If you want to be admired, be a thief, which prompted the Sasak tribe in the Lombok island to protest because if offended their traditions.

Another article entitled It's better to become a monkey than to eat pork offended Moslems, he added.

Government officials said Tempo had been warned on no less than 33 occasions since 1982, and this was one reason why it lost its license last week.

The U.S. State Department, Tuesday, in its second comment on the press bans, expressed their concern about the government's clampdown on demonstrations against the ban saying "We . . . regret the use of force against a peaceful demonstration on June 27."

The statement, read by Ken Bailes, spokesman for U.S. South Asian Pacific Affairs, said, "We hope that the ban on three publications will be lifted at an early date and that security forces will exercise greater restraint and avoid excessive use of force in confronting future demonstrations." (arf)