On skipping meal<\/p>\n
I would like to hail the letters of Ritu Sud (July 16), Zatni
\nArbi (July 18), and Dorhailay in relation to my article about
\nfasting to save rice (July 19). All letters show concern about
\nthe food crisis we are experiencing.<\/p>\n
I absolutely agree that skipping one meal a day is no joke.
\nBut what Ritu Sud has in mind is totally different from fasting
\non Mondays and Thursdays (I am doing that, too, thank-you-very
\nmuch) as appealed by the president. As a non-Moslem, she might
\nknow that, when we do the fasting, we begin it by reading nawaitu
\n(meaning intention, without which our fasting is not acceptable).
\nThis kind of fasting, as clearly declared in the nawaitu, is a
\npurely religious thing that should not be done for any other
\nreason.<\/p>\n
What I am trying to say is, we must not do religious things
\nfor economic (or political) purposes. Skipping one or two meals a
\nweak and saving the money, purely for the purpose of helping the
\nneedy, is a great deed. Let's do just that, with genuine
\nsincerity to help the needy, no strings attached.<\/p>\n
As for a quick fix on a leaky boat, however critical the leak
\nis, we still have to do the fixing properly, otherwise the boat
\nwill sink before you know it. Some quick fixes (such as providing
\nfree meals for the terminated workers by the previous minister of
\nsocial affairs and the governor's permission for the operation of
\nthe long-forgotten pedicabs in Jakarta) still leave a bitter
\ntaste in our mouths. Where have those quick fixes taken our
\n\"boat\"?<\/p>\n
CARL CHAIRUL<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/on-skipping-meal-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }