Intolerance

I agree with Farid Baskoro's view that The Jakarta Post was correct to publish Masli Arman's bigoted article on July 30, 1998. It shows that the Post indeed allows free expression of contradicting viewpoints.

One of the examples handpicked by Mr. Arman to justify the riots struck me. It was the one about the girl/woman thief wearing "full Moslem dress" who was humiliated by a Chinese shopkeeper. Does a thief who wears his or her religious attire while committing a robbery deserve to be pardoned or let off scot-free? Would it be okay to loot, kill and rape if the perpetrators wore peci (cap) and sarongs? Only in Mr. Arman's books apparently! But somehow I get the feeling that a criminal wearing Christian, Buddhist or Hindu robes would have fared worse if caught by him.

Much has been written since by expats, Chinese-Indonesians, and most hearteningly by indigenous Indonesians condemning the article and I hope that they speak for the silent majority.

RAVI MENON

Jakarta