Classic lament on poor reading habits resurfaces

Classic lament on poor reading habits resurfaces

By Fitriyanti Djoni

JAKARTA (JP): Two years ago yesterday President Soeharto
marked the 30th anniversary of International Literacy Day, which
occurs every Sept. 8, by naming September "Reading Month" and
"Visit the Library Month" as part of government efforts to
encourage Indonesians to pick up the habit of reading.

The campaign was a follow-up to a 1993 summit of nine populous
countries in New Delhi, where the leaders, including President
Soeharto, endorsed the concept of an "Education For All" as
crucial to the advancement of nations.

Those countries were Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Egypt,
Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan and Indonesia; together, they represent
more than half of the world's population.

Indonesia has strived to eliminate illiteracy, which stood at
six million people, among those 10 to 44 years of age, at last
count in 1993. The government hopes to reduce the illiteracy
rate, currently at about 12 percent of the nation's population of
200 million, before the end of the century.

September is back, and experts and writers are again voicing
how poor Indonesians are at reading. When asked about the source
of the problem, some of them came up with different answers.

The head of the National Library, Mastini Hardjoprakoso, told
Antara that the nation's poor reading habits were worsened by the
fact that not only did Indonesia produce few books, but also
produced poor quality ones.

"This calls for a concerted effort by everybody: families, the
community, the private sector and the government. We need to work
together to overcome these problems so that Indonesia can produce
good human resources," she said at the opening of a book fair in
Ujungpandang last week.

The secretary of the Council for the Development of Indonesian
Mosque Libraries, Doddy Yudhista, said Malaysia, with a
population of around 20 million, produces 18,700 different titles
of books every year. Indonesia produces only 4,000 titles.

Doddy, who is also a member of the Association of Indonesian
Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI), said a love of reading could be
detected among Malaysians, who crowd in front of libraries and
wait until they open.

"They wait in line just like those who line up for movie
tickets," he said. "Look at our National Library (in Jakarta),
it's deserted."

He blamed the situation on poor library collections and
difficult lending procedures.

"Don't blame the lack of interest in reading on the
mushrooming of private television stations," he said. "Japan has
more than 20 television channels, but people still read."

He suggested that the government and other organizations help
instill a love of reading by making books more accessible.

"Launching a 'love reading' campaign is not enough," he said.
"We need to set up libraries in public places, such as airports,
seaports, bus terminals and even shopping centers."

"Libraries should also be set up in remote places, where
people usually don't have access to other sources of information
and entertainment," he said.

Writers

Three writers, separately interviewed by The Jakarta Post,
agreed that one of the reasons for Indonesians' dislike for
reading was the shortage of good writers.

Novelists Titie Said, La Rose and Motinggo Boesje compared
contemporary literature with that of the 1960s and prior to
independence in 1945, where people wrote and read in a highly
charged mood.

"People did not write to seek a livelihood... During the
independence years, books, newspapers and magazines were
published because some people volunteered to do it," Titie said,
adding that the commercial value of books only emerged later.

"Times have changed. People don't write out of interest, but
to seek a livelihood. Nobody wants to write books because no one
is sure if one can make a living by writing," she said.

"Writing is a painfully long process, and writers need to have
sponsors in order to have their books published. Without
sponsors, they would have to wait for months or even years."

La Rose agreed with Titie's assessment, but added that there
were still writers who chose the profession because they had
talent and an interest in writing. "Not everyone chooses to write
or not to write just because of money," she said.

She conceded that writing was not always the best way to earn
a living.

"If (writers) make money, it's usually because their works
become bestsellers or are adapted into television series," said
La Rose, who has written numerous romance novels.

Motinggo, who is also known for his romance novels, said rapid
scientific and technological development also influenced writers'
lifestyles.

"They receive offers, for instance, to write screenplays. This
challenges them (and influences their genre)," he said. "It's not
a setback if writers work for television series... it's
financially more rewarding."

Motinggo said another reason why people did not read was
because books were expensive.