He has been complaining that nowadays there are some media organisations that pay little attention to things like the code of ethics, accuracy and responsibility. Pangaribuan however said that as yet there had been no concrete preparations for legal action. A spokesman for Wahid, Adhie Massardie, said the president had been advised by a constitutional law expert that the action could take the form of a defamation charge under the criminal code, the Jakarta Post reported.
Defamation carries a maximum sentence of six years imprisonment in Indonesia.
Massardie said firm action was necessary in response to reports that were considered factually wrong by the president. These are all lies which were published only to disrupt the market. Newly-appointed Supreme Court chief justice Bagir Manan supported a legal approach. Wahid is fighting for his political life, after being censured twice by parliament over his possible role in two financial scandals, and his performance as president. His detractors accuse him of failing to implement reforms, curb regional unrest and tackle the country's economic crisis.