Tempo tries to lift battered spirits

JAKARTA (JP): News of the government's decision to revoke Tempo's publishing license came as a major shock to the journalists and employees of the magazine yesterday.

Some of them said they had half expected this to happen since the Minister of Information Harmoko sent signals that he was taking stern actions against a number of press publications. However, most did not think that the measures would be enacted as quickly and severely as they were.

A number of female employees were seen crying while men put on a brave face and tried to liven up the atmosphere as they gathered at the seventh floor of the Bukaka Building, on Jl. Rasuna Said, where Tempo has its offices.

Prominent lawyers and activists such as Adnan Buyung Nasution, Marsilam Simanjuntak and senior journalists from other media institutions were also there to lend comfort.

Editor in Chief Fikri Jufri, looking slightly pale and tired, said he never expected the government to go as far as they did.

The license revocation would obviously affect the fate of reporters and other employees at Tempo, but also those employed by its agents including the delivery boys, Fikri said.

When asked about his immediate plans, Fikri said Tempo had no intention of laying off its workers but, instead, will ask them to "tighten their belts," pending a clearer picture of the magazine's future.

"We hope that our reporters and employees have strong morals and high spirits so they can accept this reality," he said, adding that the magazine employs some 350 people, including correspondents in the region and overseas.

Fikri, one of the original founders of the magazine 23 years ago, said he regretted that the government had resorted to such a measure.

He considered the measure, based on a 1984 ministerial decree, as violating the 1982 Press Law which guarantees press freedom.

Tempo may have made some errors, but revoking its license was not the way to punish the press, he said. He pointed out that the government too had made some errors in the past.

He said the government could have taken the legal course and brought Tempo to court if they thought the organization had broken the law.

Meanwhile, in the offices of DeTIK magazine, there was confusion when news of the government ban came to them yesterday afternoon, as their editor Abdul Aziz was not around and its deputy editor Eros Jarot was out of town.

"We don't know what to do. We're simply confused," said Dipo, a journalist of the magazine.

Executives of the Editor magazine yesterday were not available for comment on the government's ban.

A secretary who answered the phone said all the editorial executives were holding a meeting to discuss the case. (rms)