Indonesians and drinks

With due respect to the chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas, Hasan Basri, who was recently interviewed by The Jakarta Post on the ongoing problem of wines and spirits, and who suggested that the consumption of liquor should be permitted to foreigners only, I would like to bring to attention that such a suggestion could raise ill will in certain communities of the archipelago. (The Jakarta Post, Nov. 14, 1996: Serve alcoholic drinks to foreigners only).

In Christian communities, for instance, wine -- especially red wine -- has a religious connotation during Easter, and there are other holy events in which this drink must be served. The suggestion brought up in the article could have much wider implications if the respective authorities were to seriously translate it into practice.

While I cannot deny the problem of alcohol-consuming youngsters in the country, we should not put the blame entirely on alcoholic beverages. Rather, we should ask ourselves why youngsters cannot keep away from liquor these days. There is no cut and dried solution to the problem, like the suggested alcohol ban for Indonesians.

My father, who liked his daily drink, never had to resort to threats to keep us away from booze when we reached the teenage stage. He did not have to. Although there were no restraints, not one in this old-fashioned family would contemplate going on a drinking spree. It does not work that way.

Obviously, there is something else, a dark need maybe, that drives today's youngsters to drugs and abusive alcohol use. Someone who is content and happy does not need hard liquor to raise his or her spirits.

In this case, I tend to side with Mr. Subagio from East Java, whose suggestion to revive old-fashioned parental attention could be the first serious step to an alcohol and drug-free nation.

HETTY M. FREDERIK

Jakarta