Keep 'Love Rupiah' campaign sincere

Keep 'Love Rupiah' campaign sincere

Many of the hardships which we are now facing might not have
existed if only we had been more modest and restrained. With a
Gross National Product that was only nearing the US$1,000 mark,
we spent our money freely on various things that we should have
waited for. We allowed ourselves to bask in a false sense of
pride and progress, while the symbols of progress that we were
displaying with such brashness were actually built on hollow
foundations. We wallowed in a world of pretenses.

We have developed as a consumer nation. And we have challenged
existing standards of decorum. Businesspeople who should still be
commuting on city buses stretched themselves by buying luxury
sedans. For too long we have let ourselves be lulled by
deceptions. Perhaps, in such a situation, it is not proper to
look for common mistakes or scapegoats. The current crisis which
has turned us into a helpless nation overnight demands that we do
something as members of that nation. A new awakening, though
still timid, can already be discerned. The 'Love Rupiah' campaign
illustrates this point.

It may be well, however, to remind ourselves not to allow this
campaign to get mixed up with some people's thirst for
unnecessary publicity. The campaign should not be abused the way
many government officials have used their visits of disaster
victims to increase their own publicity. The virtuous motives of
the campaign should not be sullied by such a thirst for exposure.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta