`Tempo' editor sues Harmoko for closing down magazine

`Tempo' editor sues Harmoko for closing down magazine

JAKARTA (JP): The former chief editor of the defunct Tempo
weekly filed a lawsuit against Minister of Information Harmoko
yesterday for revoking the magazine's publishing license.

"This is one of our efforts to show that there is something
wrong with the banning of Tempo," Goenawan Mohamad told
journalists in his office after filing the suit at the Jakarta
Administrative Court (PTUN Jakarta).

Previously, there were street demonstrations, some of which
bordered on violence, by Tempo journalists and their colleagues.
However, the government responded to these demonstrations with a
renewed commitment to the ban against the news publication.

Goenawan, backed by a team of eight top lawyers, is taking his
battle into the court room.

He is demanding that the court order the government to
withdraw the controversial ministerial decree dated June 21,
1994, which revoked Tempo's publishing license -- a move which
was tantamount to its permanent closure.

Although he has expressed that he was no longer interested in
running the magazine, Goenawan also appealed to the court to
allow Tempo to resume publication.

The suit was filed only a day after journalists and employees
of the defunct magazine formally applied for a new publishing
license for a new magazine, called Opini. However, the
journalists were pessimistic that they would be granted a new
license.

The lawyers who will be exploiting the legal aspects of the
issues on Goenawan's behalf include Todung Mulya Lubis, Adnan
Buyung Nasution, Amir Syamsuddin, Trimoelja Soerjadi, Frans
Hendra Winarta, Atmajaya Salim and Nurhasyim Ilyas and the
chairman of the Indonesian Bar Association (Ikadin) Harjono
Tjitrosoebono.

First lawsuit

This is the first lawsuit in the country's history filed
against the government in connection with the revocation of
publishing licenses.

The proprietor of Prioritas, a Jakarta-based daily newspaper
which lost its license in 1987, sought to repeal a decree made by
the Minister of Information, which empowered him to revoke the
publishing licenses of newspapers and magazines through the
Supreme Court. However, the repeal failed.

Tempo lost its license in June along with two other news
magazines, Editor and DeTik. Tempo was punished because of
certain aspects of its editorial content, although the government
never categorically stated the articles that were deemed to be
offensive. Editor and DeTik were punished for administrative
reasons.

Goenawan said he decided to sue the minister following
encouragement from the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction of the House
of Representatives (DPR) as well as other people from various
fields.

Mulya, the spokesman of the legal team, said the lawyers hoped
to prove to the court that the revocation of Tempo's decree
was against the Press Law and the 1945 Constitution -- both of
which guarantee freedom of expression.

"The reason given for revoking the publishing license is
obscure. We don't know which articles were considered to be a
threat to public order," Mulya said.

Calling the government's move "irrational and unacceptable,"
he said that this was just a form of the "arrogance of power."

The lawsuit states that the information minister had abused
his power by making one-sided accusation that Tempo did not
reflect the healthy and responsible press.

It also challenged the minister's remarks that Tempo was
banned for the sake of the national stability.

"The news reported by Tempo and other media did not disturb
national stability, security or order. The situation remained
stable, safe and orderly and the development program has
continued. It would seem that the defendant was paranoid,"
according to suit, a copy of which was made available to the
press.

"It is tragic that Tempo has become the victim of the disease
of paranoia, which has become a common ailment for the
governmental body." (sim)