Students oppose ministry revival

Students oppose ministry revival

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: Dozens of journalists grouped under
the Makassar Press Inter-Organizational Forum (FLOPM) took to the
streets on Tuesday to oppose the central government's plan to
revive the ministry of information, which was dissolved by the
then president Abdurrahman Wahid.

The journalists stormed the provincial legislative council
building, urging that the provincial executives and legislative
members issue a joint statement opposing the plan, arguing that
the ministry could become the means for the new government to
oppress the press.

One of the protesters, Husein Abdullah, said that the
existence of the information ministry was feared to hamper press
freedom and the democratization process, adding that the revival
of this ministry would burden the budget of regional
administrations.

In a dialog with the protesters legislators M. Yamin Amna and
M. Anas Ganda guaranteed that the South Sulawesi legislature
would reject the plan. (27)