Clampdown on papers

On June 28, 1994, all major Japanese papers reported on the media clampdown in Jakarta early this week. NHK, Japan's country- wide television station, reported on the ban twice.

It came as a shock, at least to teachers and students who are learning Bahasa Indonesia or studying Indonesia abroad.

The weekly Tempo has been one of the best teaching materials with its lively and sophisticated language. It has been such an outstanding example of contemporary Indonesian that many teachers have encouraged their students to use it for their studies. The magazine also contributed to language education by organizing a seminar on Bahasa Indonesia in Tokyo last year.

But now, it is clear that this treasure of Bahasa Indonesia must suffer in Indonesia itself. The magazine was judged as worthless and was excluded from participating in the development of the national language.

This judgment perhaps can be justified in the Indonesian democracy, but it only threw more people into confusion about the theory of Indonesian democracy.

If the banning represents the will of the people of Indonesia, what many teachers of Bahasa Indonesia abroad have been teaching must be judged as incorrect.

But they are unlikely to judge it as so.

They will continue to say, "Tempo was a good example and it was banned."

AKIHISA MATSUNO

Osaka, Japan