---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- SUPANGKAT'S COLUMN: HABIBIE COUP DE DISGRACE NOT TOUR DE FORCE Panjimas journalist who attended the Habibie's talk show wrote to me that she raised her hands all the time in an attempt to ask questions but has been ignored by the moderator Parni Hadi, a Habibie's protege. He is a good journalist, manag- ing to make his newspaper Republika numner one in the capital defeating Kompas, Suara Rakyat Merdeka, Pos Kota, Suara Pembaruan despite the anti-Habibie mood in the market. She said a lot of journalists loved to skin Habibie alive, but was never given the chance by Parni who selected accredited correspondents of the State Secretariat and the Palace who would never ask embarrasssing questions unless his accredit- ation be revoked as was the case during Suharto's regime. Besides, the Panjimas correspondent, Uni Lubis, said that Habibie took minimal questions with longwinded, boring, unsubstantial answers. And the time was cut down from one and half hour to one hour. This is a dirty old trick in conducting bad press meetings or conferences, therefore it is no tour de force or communication coup either it is a coup de disgrace. It occured to me all the time. I sympathize with my poor colleagues. It was more a manipulation rather than an embrace of the press by the President. New York, October 12, 1999. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 12 Oct 1999 jam 16:53:32 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
