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)