Susanto Pudjomartono

With the passing away of Susanto Pudjomartono on Wednesday, Indonesia lost one of its finest journalists.

His contribution to journalism went beyond his role as the editor-in-chief of The Jakarta Post from 1991 to 2001 and Tempo magazine where he had built his career in the 1970s and 1980s. He also served as Indonesia’s ambassador to Russia in 2003-2008, but it was in journalism that he made his mark.

Susanto co-founded the Editors’ Club, which in the late 1990s and for much of the first decade of the millennium became the organization to go to for anyone involved in running the country, from presidents and army generals to politicians.

Uni Lubis, who became the club’s coordinator, recalled that Susanto took a leading role in many of the initiatives to meet with the big shots and help educate them about public opinion. Officials, including presidents Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, needed feedback from the Editors’ Club when rebuilding the nation in a democratic fashion.

“We made sure we picked up the bill,” Uni said, stressing the need for the editors to maintain their journalistic integrity in the face of the powers that be.

Those who worked with Susanto attested to his integrity.

Running a newspaper in a repressive environment was a challenge, but during Susanto’s tenure the Post saw its circulation rise rapidly in the 1990s. Whether it was by design or accident, the paper, which hitherto had catered to expatriate readers, found an Indonesian audience craving for credible news and information, irrespective of what language it was published in.

Susanto Pudjomartono

With the passing away of Susanto Pudjomartono on Wednesday, Indonesia lost one of its finest journalists.

His contribution to journalism went beyond his role as the editor-in-chief of The Jakarta Post from 1991 to 2001 and Tempo magazine where he had built his career in the 1970s and 1980s. He also served as Indonesia'€™s ambassador to Russia in 2003-2008, but it was in journalism that he made his mark.

Susanto co-founded the Editors'€™ Club, which in the late 1990s and for much of the first decade of the millennium became the organization to go to for anyone involved in running the country, from presidents and army generals to politicians.

Uni Lubis, who became the club'€™s coordinator, recalled that Susanto took a leading role in many of the initiatives to meet with the big shots and help educate them about public opinion. Officials, including presidents Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, needed feedback from the Editors'€™ Club when rebuilding the nation in a democratic fashion.

'€œWe made sure we picked up the bill,'€ Uni said, stressing the need for the editors to maintain their journalistic integrity in the face of the powers that be.

Those who worked with Susanto attested to his integrity.

Running a newspaper in a repressive environment was a challenge, but during Susanto'€™s tenure the Post saw its circulation rise rapidly in the 1990s. Whether it was by design or accident, the paper, which hitherto had catered to expatriate readers, found an Indonesian audience craving for credible news and information, irrespective of what language it was published in.

Last farewell:  The bier containing the remains of former The Jakarta Post chief editor and Indonesian ambassador to Russia Susanto Pudjomartono is carried from his home in Condet, East Jakarta, for burial on Wednesday. Paying their last respects are (from left) agricultural pundit HS Dillon, the Post senior editor Sabam Siagian, editorial advisory board member Fikri Jufri, incumbent chief editor Meidyatama Suryodiningrat and senior editor Endy M. Bayuni. (JP/DON)

Under his leadership, the Post maximized whatever freedom was available then, especially when it learned that the regime was more lenient toward English-language publications. As editor, Susanto had several brushes with the regime, though they were never fatal.

In 1996, he was summoned by the government to explain why photocopies of the Post'€™s story '€œclandestinely'€ found their way into mosques in rural Java. The Post went further than most papers in reporting on the bloody army attack to flush out pro-democracy activists who had occupied the office of the then Indonesian Democratic Party.

As the Post'€™s second editor-in-chief, following on the footsteps of founding editor Sabam Siagian, his job was destined to be difficult.

A favorite question he asked at meetings with editors was '€œhow can we do it differently?'€ so that the Post did not become another run-of-the-mill paper printed in English.

He did a heck of a job.

'€œAs captain of our ship, he charted new waters and strengthened our hull with integrity and pride in Indonesian journalism.'€ current editor-in-chief Meidyatama Suryodiningrat said. '€œWe can only hope that he would be proud to know how we have tried to improve upon his legacy.'€

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