'Republika' wins youth support over NU coverage
JAKARTA (JP): Only a week after being labeled as slanderous by supporters of the newly-elected Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Chairman Abdurrahman Wahid, the Moslem-oriented Republika daily yesterday received support from a group of Moslems for the way it has been covering the affairs of NU.
Some 60 members of the Communication Forum for Young Moslem Generations (FKGMI) gathered at the daily to express their support and called on Republika to be steadfast in its mission.
"Republika -- deliver the voice of Islam", read one student's poster. Another read "Tell the truth, we're behind you".
With the males in white shirts and the females wearing white headscarves, the students also called on the daily to be wary of any "infiltration of Jewish, socialist elements".
"Beware of infiltrators that could divide the ummat," the students said, while chanting, "There's no god but Allah" and, "Allah is Greatest" every now and then.
The students also designated Republika as an alternative source of information amidst the numerous other media which have for some time been "influenced by Jewish elements".
They urged the daily to "take sides with the truth and Islam as a whole". "We'll continue to support you as long as you are still standing on our side", they said.
The students' declaration of support yesterday was an obvious response to last week's protest by another group against Republika.
The first group of students, who also burned some Republika newspapers, alleged that their coverage of NU's congress slandered Abdurrahman. The controversial NU leader was re-elected chairman of NU at the congress, despite strong outside pressure for him to step down.
Yesterday's group of protesters, on the other hand, believed that Republika's coverage of NU and its controversial leader was "fair and proportional".
A well-informed source told The Jakarta Post that last week's protesters were supporters of NU, while FKGMI members came from the opposite camp that believed that Abdurrahman had been acting in ways that harmed Indonesian Moslems.
"When they said Jewish, they were referring to Abdurrahman," the source said.
Abdurrahman became the target of much Moslem protest recently after he visited Israel and, subsequently, suggested that Indonesia open diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.
The FKGMI students yesterday also expressed concern over the growing differences in Republika, Pelita and Terbit, three Moslem-oriented newspapers. "These differences have started to look like division," the students said.
They called for introspection by the various parties and dialog with one another. "We call on Moslem institutions and organizations to be wary of intervention from other parties who wish to manipulate," they said.
Nine of the students were received by chief editor Sinansari Ecip, head of the Jakarta bureau Ahmadie Thaha, and several staff members.
Ecip welcomed the support which he said reflected "the readers' sense of belonging toward the newspaper", and promised to continue giving voice to Moslem aspirations.
Republika was established two years ago by the powerful Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI), after it raised some Rp 40 billion of capital by issuing around 10 million shares. The foundation which publishes the daily, Yayasan Abdi Bangsa, holds some 5.1 million shares, while its employees hold two million shares.
President Soeharto, who is patron of the publishing foundation, selected the name of the newspaper. (swe)