An insult to politicians

An insult to politicians

It is difficult to tell from the strident and abrasive tone of
Hilde May's letter of May 19 whether the writer is for or against
Megawati. Perhaps in Germany, Hilde finds it necessary to
verbally abuse and insult politicians in order to get the
necessary results, but in Indonesia, strong-arm measures are not
only considered uncivilized, they are also totally ineffective.

Megawati has already given her reasons for not engaging in
televised debates, though perhaps her thoughts are too profound
for those who think that Indonesia's problems can be resolved by
a bunch of men mountaineering on the mole-hills of their
experiences in the televised mockeries of western electioneering
practices. So far, these presidential hopefuls have only
demonstrated the size of their egos and, unlike Megawati, appear
to have no conception of the vastness of Indonesia's
difficulties.

LEONARD JONES

Jakarta