Environmental desecration<\/p>\n
I visited Makassar recently and stayed at Hotel Sedona where
\nthe service and facilities were great. I really enjoyed the
\nvibrancy and friendliness of Makassar, the fresh air and its
\nrelative cleanliness compared to Jakarta. What I didn't enjoy was
\nthat the view of the harbor and natural atmosphere of the bay
\nforming the harbor has been ruined by the actions of PT Telkom
\nand the local authority of Makassar.<\/p>\n
About one kilometer off the harbor edge in the middle of the
\nbay is a narrow palm fringed island. In an act which in many ways
\ntypifies the extreme crass commercialism and insensitivity of
\nsome Indonesian corporate executives, PT Telkom has erected a
\nhuge Telkom sign that dominates the previously lovely vista. The
\nTelkom marketing manager has the vision of a gnat -- every
\nvisitor and many Indonesians seeing that sign cringe at its
\ndesecration of the environment.<\/p>\n
It immediately creates an image of Telkom that may not reflect
\nits real environmental policy and it comes at a time when Telkom
\nhas to socialize its dramatic price increase. When are some
\nIndonesian corporate executives going to realize that putting
\nsigns showing off their money and power in places of natural
\nbeauty pays a much lower \"branding\" dividend than say planting
\nmore trees on the harbor road in Makassar and having plaques
\nsaying Telkom supports the beauty of South Sulawesi\".<\/p>\n
ROBERT J. COCHRANE<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/environmental-desecration-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }