A continuing journey to meet future challenges

Jusuf Wanandi, Co-founder and member, Board of Trustees Centre for Strategic and International Studies

Before The Jakarta Post was established in 1983, there were two English dailies, The Indonesian Observer and The Jakarta Times (later The Indonesian Times).

Both were considered weak in influence and capacity due to limited resources, human and capital. This led to the idea for a third English newspaper, with quality in mind and adequate circulation to make a real impact.

The paper was aimed at not only the Indonesian public and foreigners living in Indonesia, but also the Southeast Asia region, where Indonesia as the biggest nation and anchor of the region is not sufficiently known and understood.

In this particular objective, the Post has been successful through its website, now regularly quoted globally.

In the early 1980s, there was indeed an urgent need to make Indonesia better known in the region. As a respectable and credible paper, The Jakarta Post could assist in these efforts. But the most important objective of the founders was to have a credible English paper in Jakarta that could express Indonesian ideas, visions and thoughts on the nation's development, struggles and achievements to the foreign community in Indonesia and to the Southeast Asia region.

The paper, initiated by some members of the Indonesian- language press (Suara Karya, Kompas, Tempo magazine and Suara Pembaruan), was also intended to become a vehicle to express thoughts about their own quest for modernity, freedom, and democracy to the Indonesian elite.

It was not an easy beginning. The first five years were full of challenges, particularly how to get a good editorial staff, since you need a special breed of people who are willing to become journalists, which presupposes some idealism and an inner courage.

But you need people that also have adequate skills in the English language. My colleague and friend Sabam Siagian, the editor for the first eight years until he became ambassador to Australia, somehow managed to get together a team that we could be really proud of.

The greatest contribution the Post has made so far was during the Soeharto era. Because it was published in English, it was able to put forward open criticism about mistakes and the wrongs of the Soeharto regime. This would not have been possible in the Indonesian language.

The Post could evade the ever-present eyes of the censor and the military. It has held the standard of its mission and ideals very high. It was able to express new ideas for modernity, democracy and freedom of' thought and expressions as well as freedom from fear, torture and disappearances during the authoritarian regime.

The Post and its people should be proud that so few a number could become such a defining factor in the struggle to establish an open, democratic, and plural society in Indonesia. These were fine moments for the Post.

After Soeharto resigned and the regime collapsed, a new era began in 1998, and the multiple crises and difficulties also affected the Post. The challenges became more complicated. During the Soeharto era the Post was the main daily that could be very straightforward in giving its thoughts and criticism, and therefore, occupied a certain niche among its readers, two-thirds of which are the Indonesian elite. In the new democratic fervor after 1998, that advantage was to a very large extent gone.

The Post has to find a new strategy and a new approach, while the vision and main mission are still very much intact. It has to improve and to adjust to the new situation, where democracy and the emergence of civil society demand credible information and news from a trustworthy daily such as The Jakarta Post.

To be able to do all that, the Post has to have trustworthy professionals, who have integrity and compassion; to others; pluralist in outlook, honest and efficient, and work with dedication and thoroughness.

To be able to nurture this new breed of professionals is now the most urgent task of the management of the Post. But it is now even more difficult than before. The younger generation today undergo tertiary education that is very limited in quality, especially in logic and general knowledge. In addition, they have high mobility and are very prone to switching jobs, and loyalty to the company is shallower than of earlier generations.

The Post has trained young journalists who after a couple of years moved to other fields: television, public relations, consultancy, foreign media and others. That is why the challenge is to create an environment that attracts young professionals, where some idealism also could be instilled besides training and education in professionalism and knowledge. The financial reward should be adequate and competitive.

The format and the layout of the paper have been upgraded, revamped and made more compact and concise because there are so many competitive sources of information that are readily available, from websites and the electronic media, TV, to specialized magazines.

The Post is very thankful to the management and editors of The Straits Times of Singapore, especially Felix Soh, the deputy editor, who has worked so hard to assist us in creating the "face" of the new Post.

Last but not least, management and business improvements are also important, because the economic crisis in Indonesia has not been overcome, and the business climate globally also has slowed down, affecting the Post as with other newspapers in Indonesia.

There is a new generation that will take over leadership at the Post in the next few years. The Post is very proud of them and their capabilities. At the same time, a lot more should be done to improve all aspects of the Post, both in editorial and business management.

Efforts to prepare for the future must be ongoing. Only then could we expect the Post to achieve its mission and contribute to establishing a humane, pluralistic and democratic Indonesia.