Fifteen years of service

Fifteen years of service

The Jakarta Post is 15 years old today. Normally, the
fifteenth anniversary in a newspaper's life would be cause for a
special celebration. But these are not ordinary times. The
economic crisis, which has been hitting us for the past several
months, has forced us to scale down all of our activities.
Shrinking advertising revenues and the soaring price of newsprint
have given us no choice but to implement austerity measures.
Therefore, the Post will not hold a large anniversary party, but
just a very simple thanksgiving luncheon for its staff.

The austerity measures we have taken include a salary cut for
the Post's top executives. And surely you, our readers, have seen
-- and felt -- some of the results of our cost cutting measures:
fewer pages and an increase in the subscription rate. For
certain, none of us feel happy about these measures. It was a
decision that had to be taken to ensure the newspaper's survival.
Much to our regret, the measures have meant a necessary decline
in our service to readers.

Yet, in spite of all the difficulties, we are touched by the
understanding which most of you have shown us and by the
continued support you have been giving us. Last year, on our 14th
anniversary, our paid circulation surpassed the 50,000 mark. Due
to the country's economic meltdown, which has already forced
millions of people out of work, we regrettably have lost a few
thousand of our subscribers. We were down to a circulation of
45,000 at the end of February, when we decided to raise our
subscription rate.

Frankly, we prepared for the possibility of losing as many as
10,000 of our valued subscribers after raising our rates. How
wrong we turned out to be. We underestimated our readers'
loyalty. Today, the Post's paid circulation is about 43,700. On
the one hand, we are saddened by the loss of more than a thousand
loyal readers who could not afford the new rate. On the other
hand, we are deeply moved by your devoted and continued support.
The support of our loyal readers and advertisers has not only
strengthened our commitment to maintain the quality of this
paper, it has also renewed our capability to continue to strive
for excellence. You have put your trust in us. We will do our
best to deliver.

From the very beginning of its existence, The Jakarta Post has
committed itself to giving the public the best possible service
as a truly independent quality newspaper. We believe that the
duties of a newspaper in a developing country such as ours is not
only to inform, to educate and to entertain, but also to empower
the public: to disseminate awareness of a citizen's duties and
responsibilities and to help in the building of a society within
the framework of a harmonious, pluralistic Indonesia.

We believe that it is also the duty of a newspaper to
enlighten the public so that they will be better able to
distinguish between what is good and what is bad, between what is
right and what is wrong, and between good taste and bad taste. In
times of crisis such as what we are experiencing today, we not
only want to maintain our sanity, we also want to try to offer a
voice of reason.

We believe we are not swimming against the current. Instead,
we think there are many others who share our beliefs. But in
order to pursue those ideals and turn them into reality, we need
our readers' continued support. Hence, with your trust and
backing, we will continue to strive to give you all the
information you are entitled to know. With God's blessing, we
will persevere in giving a voice to the aspirations of the
people, particularly the voiceless and powerless, in our journey
toward a more democratic and better Indonesia.