On teachers<\/p>\n
Your Oct. 19 story on Indonesian teachers losing steam was a
\nsteamed up one. Too sweeping and without substance, it read like
\na trumped-up private complaint. But it was characteristic work of
\nits author, Pak Arbi. Pak Arbi would seem hard on Indonesians,
\nunless you think he is lampooning them.<\/p>\n
Here are a few choice morsels. To the ever-carping Pak Arbi
\nIndonesian drivers never stay in the lane; nor do they zig-zag.
\nInstead they keep scattering helter-skelter on the road, driving
\nPak Arbi nuts. Lift users are also a despicable bunch. They don't
\nget in and out of lifts. They scramble, unscramble and create
\nturbulence and melee. They feign haste, but really want to step
\non your toes. He is also angry at people who troop non-stop
\nthrough swing doors. They are blissfully oblivious to the
\ncourtesy-king, Pak Arbi, who holds the door ajar. He will not let
\nthe door go and, since no other well-bred person will take over
\nthe mantle of doorman, Pak Arbi is left to stew.<\/p>\n
He concedes that Indonesian women dress well. They do so not
\nto allure but to con -- an exotic way for them to pass time -- or
\nto jump queues.<\/p>\n
Now in his latest belch, running short of safe subjects, he
\nhas emptied a full tank of bile on Indonesian teachers. We all
\nknow that teachers work in woeful circumstances, and are a
\nneglected but expected-to-be-noble lot. They deserve sympathy,
\nrespect and consideration, not a vicious lashing, as if they are
\nthe scourge of society.<\/p>\n
It is hard to comprehend how The Jakarta Post, striving for
\nbalance and good order, printed such an outrageously one-sided
\nstory which seems to have been cooked up between a hot-shot
\ndaughter and her credulous, ballistic pop, known to The Jakarta
\nPost readers through his stories printed in the Post for taking a
\npitiless view of human foibles.<\/p>\n
Readers look for objectivity, maturity and a glimpse of humor,
\nall heightened by a subtle softness gently wafting through.<\/p>\n
G.S. EDWIN<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/on-teachers-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }