Isolationist path

This is in reference to Mr. A. Djuana's letter Postage increases published in The Jakarta Post on Aug. 16. I fully agree with Mr. Djuana's views. There is no valid justification for any postage increase of 1,000 percent or more. No explanation whatsoever was given to the public for these tremendous increases. If the private sector conducted business the same way, there would be no business at all. Pursuing this path will lead to Indonesia's isolation from the rest of the world. This does not apply only to personal friendship, but to business, too.

To gain the most needed foreign exchange, Indonesia is trying to boost tourism and exports. These postal increases are, however, counterproductive; this anybody can confirm. International confirmation is the only way to maintain contact abroad. E-mail may be the answer, but not every business or household in Indonesia and abroad has the luxury of its own PC. We should not forget that other countries in Southeast Asia are competing for a share of the cake, too.

Therefore, any hurdle which could hamper international contacts should be avoided. Hopefully, the postal authorities will understand the public feeling and soon reverse the high charges. Indonesians are openhearted people, and thus isolation from the rest of the world is not what they would want.

PETER M. GANZ

Jakarta