Be proud of yourself<\/p>\n
I refer to the letter of Fenty Ang (an Indonesian student in
\nSingapore) that appeared in The Jakarta Post on April 23 and felt
\nsorry for her having such a low opinion about her country
\nand its people.<\/p>\n
I have lived in Indonesia for about 12 years, mainly in
\nSurabaya and Jakarta working in three private enterprises mainly
\nconnected to making, shaping and treating of steel. Two of the
\nthree are industrial units employing 600 to 700 blue and white
\ncollar workers.<\/p>\n
I have travailed all over the world except the Australian
\ncontinent and have seen workers of many Asian, European and
\nAmerican (and, of course, Indian) steel plants. And I find that
\nIndonesian workers are second to none. They are hard-working,
\nsincere and knowledgeable and do not need constant supervision.
\nThough small-built, they pack surprisingly superb strength,
\nstamina and staying power. They do not need to be continuously
\nsupervised and have a good work ethic.<\/p>\n
I feel that if any one has let down this great country, a
\nvolcano of talent, capability and enormous natural resources, it
\nis the elite class of this country.<\/p>\n
Fenty Ang was humiliated by her teacher about the lack of
\nskills of Indonesian workers in the IT area. She can now proudly
\ntell her \"arrogant\" Singaporean teacher that recently two
\nIndonesians won the international competition in software
\ncompetence conducted by Google India for Southeast Asia in
\nBangalore beating all nationalities including Singaporeans!<\/p>\n
I always tell my colleagues in my factory in East Jakarta to
\nfeel proud of their people, its products and its capabilities and
\ntalents. I think Indonesia is a sleeping giant who is showing
\nsigns of waking up and its new leadership with an emphasis on
\neradicating corruption is sure to give them a shot in the arm.<\/p>\n
In addition to that the Indonesian government should make
\nreally good proficiency in English language a compulsory part of
\ntheir educational system. I have seen my Indonesian colleagues
\ngetting mighty nervous if they have to write a letter to
\nsuppliers in English and, more often than not, they end up making
\na telephone call to register a complaint with
\nno paper trail to follow up if nothing is done by the supplier to
\nredress the complaint.<\/p>\n
Come on, Indonesia! You are a great country. Feel proud about
\nyourself and your country and never underestimate yourself!<\/p>\n
K. B. KALE
\nJakarta<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/be-proud-of-yourself-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}