Riot act for foreign hacks

JAKARTA (JP): A Golkar news conference for foreign correspondents ended with a legislator reading them the riot act yesterday over the way international media were portraying Indonesia.

After going to the trouble to explain Golkar's stand on current affairs, Theo L. Sambuaga took the chance to express his disappointment over how foreign media had reported Indonesia in the past fortnight.

"Foreign media, both print and electronic, have tended to blow up the negative side of affairs," said the legislator who oversees foreign affairs.

"You are biased, not objective in covering Indonesia," he thundered, leaving his guests chuckling.

The journalists bombarded the politicians with questions such as why Golkar was renominating President Soeharto, whether Golkar would expand the president's powers and its stand on the controversial currency board system.

The ice was broken somewhat when another legislator, Din Samsyudin, politely apologized to the journalists for not providing a lunch, something the guests could perfectly understand considering the economic crisis.

"Maybe some other time," he promised. (pan)