Just 'native speakers'

I read with interest Maik Hinganaday's letter of Aug. 19, 1999. The letter echoes my sentiments exactly. Run through the vacancy column of The Jakarta Post on any given morning and find hordes of advertisements looking for "native speakers" (read that as Caucasian, actually).

In some cases, that seems to be the only qualification required, be it for teachers or translators. As one manager of English first remarked to me, with a twinkle in his eye, "The concept of an English teacher for most Indonesians is a blue-eyed blonde!" My qualifications and experience of teaching English for 16 years was perfectly acceptable to him. The only hitch? I am an Asian expatriate! A case of Asians suffering from a colonial hangover.

MRS. RITU SUD

Jakarta