'CNN', Indonesia

'CNN', Indonesia

From Kompas

I often wonder whether Indonesia is really as well-known as we have always imagined. On Aug. 10, 1995 I watched the CNN television network. As we know, CNN is an organization which is capable of presenting news items, sports and prestigious interviews from all over the world.

On that night CNN was featuring a program called Important Days During the Month of August. However, to my great dismay, for Aug. 17, the agency chose to report about a "fish party" in Sweden, instead of the Indonesian Independence Day.

I thought they were probably broadcasting non-political events or things that have no historical value. But, why, for Aug. 15, did CNN clearly show the National Day of Liechtenstein. Is Indonesia regarded more inferior than Liechtenstein, a country which is said to be only as long as a train?

How could this happen? There must be some reason which I don't know. Once I stayed in a hotel in Australia. The hotel has an ASEAN Room, which does not include Indonesia. In Ramada Hotel on the Gold Coast, near the reception counter hangs a large watch showing different times of some parts of the world. It tells Hong Kong time, Singapore time, but no Jakarta time.

I have seen the document about women's movement in the world which is to be published by the Singapore Times Center. The book contains articles about women's movements in 15 countries. Again Indonesia is not included. Also I once watched a film about Asia in Disney World in Tokyo. Indonesia was not in the film.

In reality, Indonesia plays an important role in the ASEAN grouping, the Indonesian President is chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, Indonesia recently hosted the APEC conference, and was the host of the first Asia-Africa Conference. There are so many important events taking place in Indonesia, but why is it that CNN is ignorant of Indonesia? On the other hand, Liechtenstein is so popular to them. What a sad thing!

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta