Don't generalize!

I write in response to Mr Piero Ronci's reply (The Jakarta Post, July 4, 1995) to the letter of Mr M. Gliwitzki (The Jakarta Post, June 24, 1995) and his sentiments regarding the attitude of Mr Farid Baskoro towards expats.

The reaction of Mr Gliwitzki was far from "hysterical" as suggested by Mr Ronci, but rather displayed a clear and rational air, the kind of which is fundamental in discussions of sensitive matters such as race and creed. As Mr Gliwitzki pointed out, members of any given group (be it racial, religious or whatever) are not always representative of the greater population, and thus the thoughts and deeds of a few individuals cannot be taken as indicative of the whole.

The fact that Mr Ronci has encountered expatriates who are "ready to fly to Singapore the minute they catch a cold" by no means suggests that all non-Indonesians are this way inclined. I am sure he has come across at least an equal number who would never behave like this. While not wishing to inflame this apparently running debate further, I feel these points must be made in an appeal to your wider readership in order to illustrate that, as Mr Gliwitzki said, generalizing in such instances is both baseless and dangerous, and cannot be allowed to go unchecked.

ANDREW CLIFT

Jakarta