Man, this must be 'foreign' land<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Name a foreign place that you don't need a
\npassport to get into. Answer: Bekasi, West Java.<\/p>\n
At least that is how Minister of Information Harmoko feels
\nevery time he visits the sprawling administrative town, adjacent
\nto Jakarta, where new housing complexes using foreign names are
\nmushrooming alongside the growing industrial estates.<\/p>\n
"If you go to Bekasi, you'll feel like you're on foreign land.
\nThere's 'lakeside' this, 'highland' that...," Harmoko said on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
The minister was speaking to reporters after meeting with
\nPresident Soeharto at the Bina Graha presidential office to
\nreport on the preparations for the upcoming National Awakening
\nDay on May 20.<\/p>\n
Harmoko, who heads the committee in charge of the
\npreparations, said that President Soeharto would be launching a
\ncampaign on the correct use of the Indonesian language.<\/p>\n
One aim of the campaign appears to be to reverse the creeping
\nuse of foreign terms.<\/p>\n
"Why 'Lippo City', and not 'Lippo Pura'? And why not use
\n'taman' instead of 'garden'? Why should we go crazy with foreign
\nterminology?," Harmoko asked. "Take 'Bina Graha' and 'Pondok
\nIndah', for example. Don't they sound nice?"<\/p>\n
The President feels, according to the minister, that promoting
\nthe proper and correct use of Bahasa Indonesia is part and parcel
\nof the drive to strengthen national unity.<\/p>\n
Besides the language campaign, Soeharto will also launch a
\nnational discipline drive on National Awakening Day.<\/p>\n
Officials earlier said that the drive would aim to promote
\nsome simple but fundamental forms of discipline, such as queuing,
\nmaintaining cleanliness and showing up for work on time. (emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/man-this-must-be-foreign-land-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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