Comma vs point

Comma vs point

I also might not fully agree with David Tucker's reasons on
why Indonesia should stick to the "decimal comma" instead of
switching to the "decimal point" (The Jakarta Post, Dec. 15).

Still, I agree with him on Indonesia's right to keep the
decimal comma: the system was inherited from the Dutch and is
neither out of tune nor not modernly progressive, as stated by
Rudy Schouten (Dec. 22; Schouten sounds like a Dutch name?).

In this "ever more integrated, borderless and technical
world," most of Europe uses the decimal comma (for easy
reference, see how the currency conversion rates are quoted at
www.euro.ecb.int, the portal of the European Central Bank) and I
do not think countries like Germany, France, Spain, Italy,
Benelux, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland can be
considered "out of tune with the rest of the world."

If being truly international means having to conform to Anglo
Saxon practices, why not get rid of the decimal system (imposed
by Napoleon) outright? Or start writing dates with the month
followed by the day and year (in compliance with good, solid and
modern American logic?) rather than the antiquated European logic
of day, month, year.

Overall standardization will happen in due time, following a
natural process, the same as we are experiencing with the
introduction of the euro, and we will see with the unification of
accountancy systems.

It is all coming. Whether the decimal point or the decimal
comma, at that stage it will not really matter.

BENITO L. CURTAZ

Jakarta