American influence

American influence

If one characterizes films as cultural products with disregard
of their quality, American cultural influence on Indonesians has
been immense since the beginning of World War II, when Americans
were not actually participating in the conflict.

Even today Indonesians freely experience American cultural
influence with pleasure, via television programs that have
audiences flocking to their television sets to follow
live country music, jazz and blues performances, along with the
waltz, cha-cha, tango and rumba and what have you.

Despite spreading anti-American sentiments, the American
military has left no stone unturned in its efforts to renew ties
with its Indonesia counterparts, by offering U.S. military
equipment and in easing terms for concluding military deals. The
Americans, or most of them apparently, are still suspicious that
some if not many international terrorists leaders with ties to
the al-Qaeda movement may be hiding on the many small islands or
in the jungles and mountains of Indonesia.

Whatever the case, American, or for that matter any foreign
capital investors, while they may dance the night away to the
tune of country music, jive or blues, should carefully watch
labor movements in private and state enterprises. They should
only cooperate with moderate worker unions that can be asked to
join the management or be given some stake in the corporations.
The laws on regional autonomy may lead to greater confusion, with
regions becoming more ambitious to participate in decision-
making.

Other nations may envy the Americans in Indonesia, where the
U.S. cultural influence, including pornographic videos,
regretfully, will continue to flourish, with or without the
controversial chicken legs being allowed to enter the country,
dead or alive.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta