Indonesia's use of

Indonesia's use of
the decimal sign

From Kompas

Globalization and the development of sophisticated electronic
media necessitate the use of universal symbols of communication.
Unfortunately, in Indonesia, the use of decimal signs is contrary
to international practice. This is confusing, especially when one
uses a calculator. Whereas a comma (,) is used to indicate a
decimal figure in Indonesia, a period (.) is used for this
purpose internationally.

Take, for example, the figure "1,500". In Indonesia, this is
understood to mean one-and-a-half, while on a calculator, this
means one thousand five hundred. This difference in the usage of
the decimal sign often causes trouble when using data processing
programs on a computer.

Who is responsible for regulating the use of the decimal sign
in Indonesia? In the present era of globalization, the decimal
sign must be used uniformly, and it is high time that Indonesia
adopted international practice in this matter.

AGNES SAWIR

Jakarta