PHILIPPINES: INDONESIAN WRITER MOCHTAR LUBIS RETURNS HIS RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD IN PROTEST AT THE AWARDING OF THE SAME PRIZE TO FELLOW INDONESIAN NOVELIST ACCUSED OF HELPING TO SUPPRESS FREEDOM

Record ID: 645109

  • Title: PHILIPPINES: INDONESIAN WRITER MOCHTAR LUBIS RETURNS HIS RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD IN PROTEST AT THE AWARDING OF THE SAME PRIZE TO FELLOW INDONESIAN NOVELIST ACCUSED OF HELPING TO SUPPRESS FREEDOM
  • Date: 29th August 1995
  • Summary: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (AUGUST 29-30, 1995) (AUGUST 30, 1995) 1. MV INDONESIAN WRITER MOCHTAR LUBIS WITH HIS WIFE PLACES BOX CONTAINING MAGSAYSAY MEDALLION AWARD ON DESK AND OPENS BOX, CU MEDALLION (2 SHOTS) 0.08 2. CU MAGSAYSAY CERTIFICATE AND PHOTOGRAPH OF FORMER PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT RAMON MAGSAYSAY NEXT TO MEDALLION ON TABLE 0.12 3. MVS LUBIS RETURNING THE CERTIFICATE AND MEDALLION TO BIENVENIDO TAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE RAMON MAGSAYSAY FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES WHILE LUBIS' WIFE LOOKS ON (3 SHOTS) 0.27 4. CU LUBIS SAYING "I PROTEST BECAUSE HE HAD DONE VERY BAD THINGS AGAINST THE INDONESIAN WRITERS AND ARTISTS WHEN THE COMMUNIST PARTY WAS IN POWER IN JAKARTA WITH THE LATE PRESIDENT SUKARNO. (ENGLISH) 0.42 5. CUTAWAYS JOURNALISTS 0.46 6. CU TAN SAYING "THE INVESTIGATION OF THE AWARD TO MR. PRAMOEDYA WAS DONE WITH A LOT OF STUDY AND A LOT OF REFLECTION, SO THE FOUNDATION HAS TO STAND BY ITS POSITION GIVING THE AWARD. (ENGLISH) 1.00 (AUGUST 29, 1995) 7. MV PHOTOGRAPHERS AT AIRPORT 1.03 8. MV WIFE OF INDONESIAN WRITER PRAMOEDYA ANANTA TOER AND WRITER MARIAN KATOPO AT AIRPORT 1.07 9. CUS PRAMOEDYA'S WIFE, TRAVEL DOCUMENTS (2 SHOTS) 1.14 10. CU KATOPO SAYING "I'M JUST REPRESENTING ALL THE INDONESIAN WRITERS WHO ARE VERY HAPPY AND PROUD, AND THERE ARE MANY OF THEM, THAT PRAMOEDYA HAS WON THE MAGSAYSAY PRIZE." (ENGLISH) 1.26 11. MV PRAMOEDYA'S WIFE WALKING TOWARDS AIRPORT VIP ROOM 1.30 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 13th September 1995 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MANILA, PHILIPPINES
  • City:
  • Country: Phillippines
  • Reuters ID: LVACSXQQCO9LGE89XG0L7L1MOOPN
  • Story Text: Indonesian writer Mochtar Lubis on Wednesday (August 30) returned his Ramon Magsaysay Award in protest against the giving of the same prize to a fellow Indonesian novelist he accused of helping suppress freedom in his country.

    Mochtar Lubis, 73, handed back the gold medallion given him by the Philippine-based award foundation in 1958 as well $1,000 of the $5,000 cash prize he won, promising to complete the amount later.

    Lubis, winner of the journalism and literature prize, was among 26 Indonesian artists and writers who slammed the foundation's decision to name compatriot Pramoedya Ananta Toer for the same award this year.

    "I protest because he had done very bad things against the Indonesian writers and artists when the Communist Party was in power with the late president Sukarno," Lubis said.

    "He always agitated against the non-communist writers and artists in Indonesia and even used very brutal words against them like 'total elimination'." Bienvenido Tan, chairman of the foundation's board of trustees, said the foundation chose Pramoedya, 70, for the prize strictly for his literary achievements.

    "The award was done with a lot of study and reflection. The foundation has to stand by its position," Tan told reporters.

    "The award to Mr Pramoedya was given for his work in literature and without any political overtones." Tan, receiving the medallion and cash from Lubis, told him: "The award remains forever yours. We shall hold it in trust for you in the hope that at some time in the future you will wish to reclaim it (in) better times." The award, Asia's version of the Nobel Prize and given in five categories annually to outstanding Asians and Asian-based organisations, was established in 1958 in memory of Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay, who died in an air crash in 1956.

    The foundation said Pramoedya had paid for his identification with the communist movement by being jailed for 14 years from 1965 to 1979.

    In Jakarta, more than 150 Indonesian writers, journalists and activists said in a statement on Wednesday they supported the choice of Pramoedya for the literature prize because of his "invaluable contribution" to Indonesia's cultural and intellectual life.

    "I'm representing all the Indonesian writers who are very happy and proud, and there are many of them, that Pramoedya has won the Magsaysay prize," said Marian Katopo, an Indonesian writer who flew to Manila together with Pramoedya's wife Maemunah Thamrin.

    Thamrin will receive the award for her husband in ceremonies in Manila on Thursday (August 31)
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