Books are considered basic need

JAKARTA (JP): The nation's commitment to improving its human resources took a step forward yesterday with the House of Representatives giving support to making books one of Indonesia's basic needs.

National Library head Mastini Hardjoprakoso said after a meeting with House Commission IX for religion, education and sport, that legislators would propose books be listed in the 1998 State Guidelines as a basic need.

She said legislators would support the eventual elimination of taxes on books, to make them cheap enough for people to buy and read.

"We suggested books be made Indonesia's tenth basic need, along with rice, sugar... and we got the House's support," she said after the meeting.

Indonesia's basic needs are officially: salt, salted fish, detergent, mori (unbleached cloth for batik), cooking oil, kerosene and synthetic materials.

Mastini said the state planned to give priority to developing libraries in the remote areas of Eastern Indonesia.

Despite living in simple conditions and there being a scarcity of books, children in rural areas were not unenthusiastic about reading books, she said.

"I often ask them whether they like reading or not, and they reply 'yes, but there are no more books left'," she said.

Only last year Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro reportedly refused to reduce the tax on books.

As reported by Kompas, Wardiman blamed poor reading, not high prices, for poor book sales. (09)