Foreign names bias decision<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The City Administration has rejected 43 new
\nbusiness proposals because they had foreign names, an official
\nsaid yesterday.<\/p>\n
Kuseini Budiantoro, head of the City Security and Order
\nOffice, said that 30 of the 43 companies whose proposals were
\nturned down, wanted to establish entertainment centers.<\/p>\n
"We temporarily rejected the proposals after we learnt about
\nthe trend to use foreign names rather than proper Indonesian," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He explained that processing could continue after the
\napplicants changed the names to Indonesian.<\/p>\n
Most of the applicants are currently changing the names of
\ntheir businesses before applying again, he said.<\/p>\n
As Aug. 17, the 50th anniversary of Indonesia's independence,
\napproaches, the government is determined to have all housing
\nestates, hotels, shopping centers and buildings given proper
\nIndonesian names.<\/p>\n
The aggressive promotion of Indonesian is intended to make
\nIndonesians proud to speak their own language.<\/p>\n
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja recently said that the city
\nauthorities expect owners and operators of buildings and other
\nbusiness centers to change to Indonesian names.<\/p>\n
"We have to be proud to our own language. And it is time now
\nto improve our identity as a nation. If we still use other
\nlanguages, it means that we still feel inferior," he said.<\/p>\n
"The excessive use of foreign terms reflects an erosion of
\npride in our own language. In a more extreme sense it may even be
\nthat the use of foreign terms reflects a lack of national
\nspirit."<\/p>\n
Surjadi said that the city administration had issued Regional
\nRegulation No.1 in 1992 regarding the proper use of Indonesian on
\nbillboards and for the names of office buildings and business
\ncenters.<\/p>\n
Aug. 17 has been set as the deadline for all foreign names to
\ndisappear.<\/p>\n
In a related development, Kuseini said his office shut down
\nfour entertainment centers for violating various regulations.<\/p>\n
"The four entertainment centers were a discotheque, a billiard
\ncenter, a massage parlor and a ding-dong gambling center,"
\nKuseini said.<\/p>\n
The violations ranged from staying open after hours to
\ngambling. (31)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/foreign-names-bias-decision-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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