LAKSAMANA.Net, June 16, 2004 02:32 AM
Hamzah Haz Calls for Tighter Media Controls
Laksamana.Net - Vice President Hamzah Haz says that if elected Indonesia's next
president he would tighten control of the mass media because excessive press
freedom is a threat to the nation.
Haz, who is regarded as an outside chance at best for the presidency, said Tuesday
(15/6/04) he would "revive" the Information Ministry to control the mass media if he
wins the July 5 presidential election.
"It would be better to revive the Information Ministry to provide information to the public
and control the mass media," he was quoted as saying by state news agency Antara
at a campaign rally in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.
He seemed to have forgotten that the Information Ministry, notorious for muzzling the
press under former dictator Suharto and eventually disbanded in 1999 by ex-president
Abdurrahman Wahid, was actually revived by President Megawati Sukarnoputri when
she came to power in 2001.
Despite the rebirth of the ministry, Megawati's Information Minister Syamsul Muarif
has not reintroduced an infamous press licensing requirement that was used by the
Suharto regime to close down critical publications.
Haz, who is the presidential candidate of the Islam-based United Development Party
(PPP), said press freedom needs to be regulated to enable the media to carry out its
functions according to religious norms.
He said the press should not be given unlimited freedom as such liberty could lead to
the destruction of the nation.
Golkar Party's presidential candidate Wiranto, who campaigned on Tuesday in
Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi province, vowed to maintain press freedom if elected.
"Press freedom will be maintained but I will demand more responsibilities from press
workers on their coverage to support the national development acceleration," he was
quoted as saying by Antara.
"It is the manifestation of democracy but the implementation must avoid excessive
coverage and breaking existing regulations," he added.
New Education Ministry
Haz said that if elected he would replace the Education Ministry with a ministry of
higher learning institutes and research, aimed at helping university graduates find
jobs.
"If I am elected president, I would develop the Education Ministry into a higher learning
institutes and research ministry," he said.
Haz, who paid about $2,000 for his honorary philosophy doctorate from a notorious
"long-distance-learning" university in the US, made no mention of stopping corruption
within schools and univeristies or the sale of phony academic qualifiactions.
Warming to his theme of overhauling the government in the unlikely event that he
comes to power, Haz said he would also convert the State Ministry of Cooperatives,
Small and Medium Enterprises into a fully fledged ministry.
Mud Slinging
Haz later took a shot at rival presidential candidate Amien Rais of the National
Mandate Party (PAN), questioning his party's commitment to Islam.
"Do you think my supporters can be provoked [to vote for Amien]? No. It is my party
which is Islamic, not PAN," he was quoted as saying by Antara.
He was commenting on reports that Rais had urged PPP supporters to vote for him in
order to unite Muslim voters.
No Preparation
Haz admitted that he and his running mate, former transportation minister Agum
Gumelar, had only entered the presidential race at the last minute.
"The other presidential candidates have prepared themselves several years in
advance, but Agum and I have had no preparation," he said.
Violations
Election officials in the Maluku capital of Ambon said Tuesday they would summon
Haz's campaign team for allegedly violating campaign rules by using the local
government's official cars at a rally last Saturday.
Yance Djiptabudy, head of the Ambon chapter of the General Elections Supervisory
Committee (Panwaslu), said the official cars had been used at rally in Batu Merah
village in Ambon municipality on Saturday.
"We will summon them to clarify whether or not the cars belonged to the Maluku
provincial government," he said.
Aides have insisted that Haz made his visit to Ambon in his capacity as vice
president and did not conduct any campaigning activity.
The West Java chapter of the General Elections Commission on Monday warned
Haz's campaign team to stop placing banners and other paraphernalia in public
places and on public facilities.
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