Riot act for foreign hacks

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)