Wahid blamed for attacks on journalists

Reporting a rally like this can be a risky business

By CNN's Yenni Kwok

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Angered by attempts to remove Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid from power, his fanatical supporters have targeted not only his opposition but also the media.

On Tuesday, pro-Wahid protesters hit a photojournalist in Surabaya, the capital of Wahid's home province of East Java, while he tried to photograph them burning tires.

"Write the truth and good things," the mob shouted.

The Detikcom news portal reported the protesters also threw stones at reporters during a demonstration in front of the governor's office, calling them "provocateurs."

Wahid's supporters in the neighboring province of Central Java have also targeted journalists. Some 300 members of the so-called Diponegoro Force beat six journalists on Friday in the town of Tegal, sending one to hospital in a coma.

Didik Supriyanto, secretary-general of Indonesia's Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), blames President Wahid for inflaming hatred towards the media.

"Gus Dur (Wahid) has become an important political actor who is hostile to press freedom," said Didik.

Wahid has frequently delivered verbal attacks to the media, accusing them of making "biased" reports.

In his brief televised speech on Monday, Wahid accused the media of "a systematic attempt" to ruin his reputation and of carrying out a "character assassination."

"The media are not interested in reporting the government's achievements and they have been taking sides," he said.

Regular culprits

According to Didik, Wahid should be lean with his criticism because his supporters -- many devoted to the frail Muslim cleric -- will take heed of his words.

"We have written two letters to him, reminding him that his statements could have social implications, and even told our protests to his state secretary," Didik said.

He believes there is a correlation between the president's statements and his supporters' actions.

"When he fusses about the press, his supporters would do something," Didik said.

According to the AJI, Wahid's supporters as a group have caused the highest number of attacks against the press in the past 12 months.

Out of 47 recorded cases between May 2000 and May 2001, 12 were committed by Wahid supporters, the alliance said.

Petition

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), led by Wahid's rival and Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, was attributed to nine assault cases, while various hardline Muslim groups were responsible for the other nine.

Following the assaults on six journalists in Tegal, the country's intellectuals and reporters have produced a petition condemning violence against journalists and demanded the government to protect the voice of the press.

Freedom of the press is a relatively new phenomenon in Indonesia. Stifled for 32 years, the media was liberated only after former president Suharto fell from power in 1998.

Ironically, Wahid was once known as an intellectual and a democrat, who during Suharto's time discussed the freedom of the press with pro-democracy activists, including then-underground AJI activists.