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"That was a huge mistake," he said, referring to the minister's actions. "He
(the minister) said that just to protect his government's interest."
He said the minister should not have made an issue of the fact that an
Indonesian reporter interviewed Anwar Ibrahim.
Manan said the minister viewed the issue from the Malaysian perspective, a
country where the press is suppressed by the state.
"What's wrong with interviewing Anwar Ibrahim? Indonesians also have the
right to know what's going on in Malaysia."
Manan said the media in the neighboring country was now in more or less
the same situation as was the Indonesian press during the New Order
regime.
"Press freedom is very limited in Malaysia, which makes the media there less
critical of the government.
"Rallies or other events that may reflect negatively on the government are
rarely covered because doing so invites repression," said Manan.
Host and Metro TV chief executive Andy F. Noya said Anwar Ibrahim was
interviewed because of his ideas on Indonesia-Malaysia relations and the
rise of Asians in international leadership circles.
"As a reformist leader, Anwar's thought is worth listening to," Andy told The
Jakarta Post.
"It's not the responsibility of the Indonesian press to maintain the stability of
Malaysian politics. That's the responsibility of the Malaysian government."
"That was exactly how (New Order information minister) Harmoko and other
New Order leaders used to defend themselves when they were asked by the
international community about democracy in Indonesia."
"Even people conducting peaceful demonstrations are taken into custody for
internal security reasons," said Effendi.
However, both Effendi and Manan said Indonesia still had work to do to see
through the implementation of democracy and media performance.
"Our democracy has yet to guarantee law enforcement which is one of the
essential pillars of democracy," said Effendi.
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