Replaced news agency head threatens court action

Replaced news agency head threatens court action

JAKARTA (JP): Former Antara news agency chief Parni Hadi said
on Tuesday that he was considering filing a lawsuit at the
Jakarta Administrative Court against a presidential decree which
replaced him with Mohamad Sobary.

"I was just suggested by Amien Rais (People's Consultative
Assembly speaker) to take the decision to court," Parni said on
the sidelines of a hearing with the House of Representatives
Commission I for defense, foreign and political affairs.

However, he said the suit should be discussed together with
Antara employees, claiming that they regretted his predecessor
was an outsider.

Antara lawyer Akbar Lubis accused President Abdurrahman Wahid
of violating Law No. 40/1999 on the press, which required the
candidate for the agency's top post must first be proposed to the
House.

"The President's decision was illegal, it is a breach of law,"
Lubis said.

He contended that Antara, which was established in 1937, was
not a state-owned agency until former president Sukarno
arbitrarily "confiscated" it through a 1962 decree.

But during Tuesday's hearing, legislator Ferry Tinggogoy of
the Indonesian Military/Police Faction at the House asked Parni
to boldly accept the presidential decision.

"Former president Soeharto appointed his man for Antara
chief and Parni was appointed by former president Habibie. So now
Gus Dur also appoints his man," Ferry said, referring to
President Abdurrahman by his popular nickname.

Ferry also contended that Abdurrahman's decision was legal
since the Press Law had not yet been endorsed by the President
while the 1962 decree had not yet been revoked.

Legislator Sutradara Gintings noted that the contention also
stemmed from the fact whether Parni was politically installed as
the Antara chief by Habibie.

"If Parni was a political appointee, it's normal that Gus Dur
does the same thing," Sutradara of the Indonesia Justice and
Unity faction said.

Parni, a close associate of B.J. Habibie and former general
manager of Republika daily, was appointed head of Antara by the
former president in 1998.

Separately, an Antara journalist who asked for anonymity
refuted reports that agency employees rejected Sobary, saying
that only a few people, mainly Parni's close aides, objected to
the agency chief.

"Parni did little to improve the agency. The agency would have
gone bankrupt in three years if we didn't make any improvements,"
the journalist said.

Meanwhile in Medan, North Sumatra, political observer Andi A.
Mallarangeng said that Sobary was the right person to head the
agency.

"He deserves the post, and I hope he remains critical with his
columns," Andi said on the sidelines of a one-day seminar on Bank
Indonesia independence and demand on its transparency at Hotel
Tiara here on Tuesday.

When asked if Sobary's closeness to Abdurrahman was the main
reason for his appointment, Andi said "it was Sobary's uniqueness
which led him to the post".

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, Hasanuddin University mass
communications expert Andi Muis said Abdurrahman's decision to
remove Parni was "inappropriate and disturbed the performance of
the country's oldest news agency".

"How can an artist lead a journalistic institution? He's more
of a columnist and it will be hard for him to lead Antara.
Parni has lot of experience and he is a true journalist.

"I think Abdurrahman's decision was based more on politics
rather than technical aspects," Muis said on Tuesday.

"But anyway I concede that Abdurrahman has the right to make
such an appointment. The question is: Has he made the right
choice?" he added.(27/39/edt/sur/jun)