Regrettable magazine bans a `setback', observers says

JAKARTA (JP): The government's decision to revoke the publishing permits of the country's major weekly publications Tempo, DeTIK and Editor may adversely affect the domestic political climate, observers said yesterday.

Marzuki Darusman, Vice Chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights, and B.N. Marbun, a senior legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction both described the action as a "setback."

"It's very regrettable that it occurred at the time when we were starting to feel a climate of openness," Marzuki said, calling on the government to immediately clarify the background and reasons for the bans.

Marbun said the closing of the weeklies represented a setback in the democratization process, something which President Soeharto has personally encouraged.

He said the drastic action against the news media showed inconsistency between what officials say and do.

"The political openness is going backward," said Marbun, a deputy chairman of House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I overseeing information, defense and security.

Marzuki acknowledged that, prior to the bans, the country has been enjoying a very evident period of political openness. In hindsight, however, he believed that period was a time of "experiment".

Prominent political scientist Dr. Juwono Sudarsono of the University of Indonesia and legislator Aisyah Aminy from the United Development Party (PPP) faction expressed regrets about the move.

"This is very lamentable," Aisyah said, expressing surprise over the news.

According to Juwono, who is also a newly-inducted member of the Press Council, free speech in this country has always operated in cycles.

The revocation of the weeklies, he said, are among efforts to step on the "brakes" and slow down the speed with which political openness has been progressing.

"Perhaps the open political climate is indeed declining now," he said.

However, he also expressed optimism that the closings would not cause openness to slide down even further.

Both Juwono and Marzuki hoped that the revocation will be temporary and the weeklies will be able to resume publication soon.

Marzuki called on the government to immediately give detailed explanations of the background for its decision and to take steps to help those affected by the press stoppage.

"Let's start thinking, for instance, about what we can do to help the weeklies' employees and their families," he said.

"We know that this action was really not in line with the (political) openness campaign," he said. "However, let's advance the discussion to practical solutions for problems which will follow this revocation."

Debatable

Marzuki acknowledged that the grounds for the revocation are debatable as the Indonesian press law claims to recognize "a free but responsible press" and does not allow for the muzzling of the press.

However, the laws are such that enough leeway is provided the government to revoke publication permits, he said.

Marzuki likened the whole affairs to a tug-of-war between the government and the press, with both parties knowing very well the rules of the game.

By revoking the permits, the government was only exercising its authority, he said.

During a discussion in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day on May 3, several senior journalists and observers stated that the Indonesian press needs more protection in order to fulfill its role.

Abdurrahman Wahid has specifically asked for "more space" for the press, and clear boundaries as to what the press can or cannot do. Otherwise, the press "will find its own way", Wahid said.

Stressing his opposition to the government's move, Marbun warned that shutting down magazines will erode the public's trust in the bureaucracy.

He said the freedom that the Indonesian press enjoy is far from what the public expects due to press laws that allows the government to harness the news media.

"Where will the government lead democracy to?" said the legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). (swe/pan)