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