Sobary officially heads Antara
Sobary officially heads Antara
JAKARTA (JP): The top job at the official Antara news agency
was handed to noted columnist Mohammad Sobary on Wednesday, with
the conspicuous absence of former chief Parni Hadi.
In the quiet ceremony, without the earlier rumored
demonstrations against the replacement, Acting State Secretary
Bondan Gunawan installed Sobary as general manager.
Speaking to reporters and the news agency's employees at the
ceremony, Sobary pledged to boost the agency's professionalism.
"I think it's time for some of our friends in Antara to have
some more training in journalism ... the English language, or
other training," he said.
President Abdurrahman Wahid replaced Parni with Sobary, who
works at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, on March 20 with a
presidential decree.
Parni has filed a lawsuit against the President demanding Rp 1
trillion in damages, saying that Abdurrahman had no right to
issue the decree. Antara, he said, was not a state news agency as
claimed, but a private foundation, adding that the government
only provided a meager sum in funding each year.
On Thursday, Parni's lawyers said in a news release that
Wednesday's installment of Sobary was "invalid" and undemocratic.
The installment did not appreciate the fact that the lawsuit was
still being processed, lawyer Zul Amali Pasaribu said.
On Dec. 13 last year, in a ceremony celebrating the news
agency's 62nd anniversary, Abdurrahman said he hoped Antara would
be independent and added that it should no longer be the
government's mouthpiece. Later, some Antara employees expressed
resentment over Sobary's appointment.
Sobary admitted the tension on Wednesday but said he would
also feel suspicious if he was in their position.
He said he had held three meetings with the employees, which
he said had established an understanding between both parties.
Bondan denied during the ceremony charges that the government
had been arrogant in appointing an outsider. He said the post had
been offered to insiders, "but nobody had dared." (08)