'Swasembada' swamped with complaints of lost copies

JAKARTA (JP): Swasembada magazine, whose last edition was sold out shortly after being printed, has been inundated by calls from subscribers and distributors.

The latest edition, no. 8, whose cover story was about troubled Bank Pacific, could not be found on newsstands since being published Friday.

The cover story of the magazine, popularly known as Swa, was titled "Utari's Uncurbed Scandal and Ambition -- The Tale of Bank Pacific's Fall," referring to former director Endang Utari Mokodompit.

Swa circulation staff repeatedly apologized to callers, saying they did not have any copies left.

Distributors said Bank Pacific bought all 40,000 copies reserved for them, but both Swasembada and Bank Pacific could not confirm. Most of the remaining 5,000 copies go to subscribers who do not deal with distributors.

A distributor said as of late yesterday that he had not been able to find a single copy.

Deputy to chief editor Kemal Effendi Gani would only say, "We're all disappointed. We cannot fulfill our mission to inform readers, to tell a story from which we might draw lessons."

A Swa executive said although the magazine had a website (http://www.swa.co.id), only few readers have access to the Internet.

Swa reporters demanded the edition be reprinted.

A "statement of concern" signed by 21 staffers, including executive editor Baso Amir, said, "To us, letting this buy up happen is far worse and saddening than a press ban."

The statement said sources who bought the magazine claimed be from the intelligence body, Bakin.

The magazine's management said they had yet to decide whether they would reprint the last edition, saying they were being cautious.

"Things are becoming sensitive...it is not merely business considerations which we take into account," an executive requesting anonymity said.

Sources said two people, who would not say who they represented, came to the office Thursday insisting on buying every copy. The management had told them to deal with distributors, saying they had commitments to their subscribers.

Distributors said people claiming to be from Bank Pacific had blocked PT Temprint printing house with their vehicles in West Jakarta.

"They (the people claiming to be from Bank Pacific) said we should sell all the copies to them," a distributor said. The people loaded the magazines onto a truck, she said. She added that the people did not make any threats, but employees could not refuse.

A source from Bank Pacific, who requested anonymity, said she had no idea who was posing as the bank's representatives or whether the bank had decided to buy up all the copies.

"Several of us subscribe to Swa and we're also looking for copies," she said.

"Swa should print more copies...or eventually its image will be tarnished," a distributor said. "Many distributors have protested." He said rumors among distributors were that one distributing agency had monopolized all copies and sold them to Bank Pacific. (anr/icn)