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.