Susilo to appoint media liaison: Aide

Susilo to appoint media liaison: Aide

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Amid efforts to limit the movement of journalists covering his
activities, president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is planning
to appoint a spokesperson and organize regular media briefings,
according to an aide.

Susilo's media coordinator M. Lutfi said on Sunday the next
administration would ensure that media interests were addressed.

"There is a plan to appoint a spokesperson and hold regular
media briefings for Merdeka Palace reporters," Lutfi told The
Jakarta Post.

"Aside from that, the president himself will actively handle
important and substantial issues. Rest assured that the media
will not be left out," he said.

Rumors have been circulating among reporters that Susilo, who
will be sworn in on Oct. 20, would introduce some changes in
media coverage for security reasons.

It has been reported that, as Susilo has decided to reside at
Merdeka Palace, he sought to restrict access to journalists on
the presidential beat.

Instead, reporters would be assigned to a single press room to
which they would be escorted whenever the president, government
officials or state guests held a media briefing.

Journalists had their first taste of the new arrangement last
week, when outgoing President Megawati Soekarnoputri used the new
presidential office at the center of the Palace for the first
time.

Reporters were quickly escorted away from the new office and
asked to stay in the press room some 300 meters from the office.

Palace sources said the new arrangement aimed to prevent
journalists from holding doorstop interviews with Cabinet members
and official guests, which had become common practice since
former president B.J. Habibie took over the national leadership
in 1998.

The sources also said a certain dress code would be imposed on
all journalists covering Susilo's activities.

Meanwhile, communication experts urged Susilo to maintain an
open relationship with the press, as restricting media movement
would only create a negative impression about his administration.

"State officials must develop awareness to see the media as
their partners," Wimar Witoelar told the Post over the weekend.

He said appointing a presidential spokesperson was not the
only way to manage communication between the President and the
media.

"The first thing is that the president himself has to remain
communicative with the people through the media," said Wimar, a
former spokesman to ex-president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.

Another communication expert, Efendi Ghazali, said many
alternatives existed for the President to balance security with
the need to communicate openly with the public through the media.

"In countries like the United States, they are familiar with
weekly radio talks from the President. I think such regular
encounters with the media are necessary," he told the Post.