'SCTV' management sacks debate producer

SURABAYA (JP): The producer who brought together two rival politicians in a highly controversial television debate last month has lost his job at SCTV.

Supandi Syahrul, the producer of the debate between Latief Pudjosakti and Sutjipto of the Indonesian Democratic Party, said he was arbitrarily sacked and would sue SCTV management.

"The management's letter (on his dismissal) is vague and there is a lot of injustices in their argument," Supandi told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

The dismissal letter stated that Supandi was fired because he had criticized SCTV's talk show Behind the News that aired the debate.

It specifically referred to an article written by Supandi for the Surabaya-based Surya daily. The article, published on March 30, stated that the talk show rated very low in a recent survey.

The SCTV management says Supandi presented misleading analysis to the public about an internal matter of the mass media company.

Supandi, who has worked at the private station for five years, said he believed his dismissal had to do with the interview. The debate was almost canceled after some officials reportedly objected to it because Sutjipto was critical of the government.

A reliable source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Post that a director and a shareholder of SCTV were angered by the Latief-Sutjipto debate because it could sour relations between the company and the government.

SCTV spokesperson Dini S. Rahim declined to comment on the producer's dismissal.

Supandi's lawyer, Trimoelja D. Soerjadi, said he would file the lawsuit soon. He described his client's firing as "one sided" because Supandi was never given a chance to defend himself.

"He had been asked on several occasions to resign. Of course he refused," the lawyer said. (15/pan)