Regrettable magazine bans a `setback', observers says

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)