Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – Indonesia's president has always avoided reporters, but new curbs on journalists covering her activities have sparked fears the government may be trying to retreat behind barriers familiar under ex-autocrat Suharto.

Last week the palace banned Indonesia's rambunctious press and foreign reporters from firing impromptu questions at President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz.

In December, Finance Ministry officials said they could not talk to the media about draft policies. All such questions had to be directed to the minister, Boediono, they said.

Analysts said the curbs did not foreshadow an actual media crackdown, but reflected Megawati's inability to deal with the press and her preference for remaining above the political fray, much like Suharto did during his 32-year iron rule.

"Megawati's government has been showered with criticism from the press. So, she's just telling the media she does not want to be annoyed by them anymore," said Muhammad Budhyatna, a political communications analyst at the University of Indonesia.

"Pitifully, she has become worse than Suharto when it comes to talking to the press ... If this trend is followed by her subordinates, in the end transparency will again be at stake." Analysts warned she risked further alienating a fickle local media as criticism of her leadership grows.

Suharto kept the media on a short leash and official ceremonies were tightly scripted. Newspapers criticised Suharto's regime or his family's vast business interests at their peril.

The former general himself rarely spoke directly to the press, preferring to issue statements through his ministers, a practice Megawati has already embraced.

Never regarded as a great public speaker, unlike her maverick father and Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, Megawati also dislikes the rough and tumble of defending government policies, another task she leaves to her cabinet ministers.

After Suharto stepped down in 1998 the press took up the cudgel of monitoring the government with a vengeance. Publications mushroomed and blunt political columns launched blistering attacks that would trigger libel suits elsewhere.

"She has no ability in articulating her views to the press. She has no sense of communication, she cannot face reporters and sees the press as a threat," said Lukas Luwarso, director of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance's Jakarta office. "But her policies so far have not shown her desire to crack down on the press. This is just a character issue."

Keep your distance

The new rules require reporters to stand at least one metre away from presidential guests when interviewing them. A question may only be asked of Megawati and Haz if a written request has been made first.

A presidential aide played down the measures. "This is for technical reasons. [Door-stepping] causes journalists to scramble around with their mikes and recorders. We will give interviews if we are informed first," Garibaldi Sudjatmiko, head of the presidential media office, told Reuters.

The Finance Ministry said its restrictions were not new. "We are only issuing a reminder that office memos are only for internal use. We do not want something unfinished to go out to the public," said Agung Ardianto, a ministry official. "We are not hiding anything."

But press groups remain sceptical, especially since Megawati has given so few interviews since taking power last July and some finance ministry staff refused to make comments since December.

For Megawati, the problem has been magnified by the lack of a presidential spokesperson. This has made it virtually impossible for reporters to get quick palace comment on matters of state.

That contrasts sharply with her predecessor, Abdurrahman Wahid, who had three spokesmen and felt at home talking to the media, although his frequent erratic statements often added to the confusion that surrounded his rule.

Analysts said Megawati was always going to formalise the chaotic media coverage that characterised Wahid's leadership. The Muslim cleric was sacked by the top legislature for incompetence.

"If she thinks she does not need the press anymore, the media will not help her when she makes a wrong move that could be fatal. They will have a field day deriding her," said Budhyatna.