Beauty queen

Beauty queen

From Jayakarta

President Soeharto has warned that Indonesia should not take part in the Miss Universe beauty contest. This was stressed following a widespread debate on the issue.

Today most social leaders are only capable of dealing with light matters, such as a beauty contest which only concerns one Indonesian person. Why don't we think of more substantial matters like the fate of thousands of Indonesian workers working in foreign countries? Many of them are tortured, have their human rights abused, and are raped.

Many recently drowned when trying to cross the seas. Those who survived were captured and detained and accused of trying to enter the country illegally. In fact, they did it because they had no choice. They found it very hard to get a job in Indonesia and so they tried their luck in a neighboring country. It is ironic, indeed. We often boast of the richness of our country but it cannot guarantee decent employment for all its citizens.

All these cases call for serious attention because they also concern the dignity of our country.

JON

Jakarta