Luxury cars

Luxury cars

On page one of The Jakarta Post on Nov. 27, 1996 there are two
photos on what was happening in Jakarta. I felt impelled to give
some comment because the two photos are so extraordinary and also
somewhat embarrassing.

The first picture shows a row of luxury cars for the ASEAN
informal summit. The caption says the cars were imported from
Britain, and among the limousines is a Rolls Royce Bentley. I
believe Rolls Royce cars are owned by very few people in the
world, such as members of royal families, well-known movie stars,
singers, athletes and other very rich celebrities.

I have every reason to be proud of our nation that pays such
high respect to its guests by providing them those special cars.
But, in my view, importing these cars only increased the deficit
of our national current account. Why didn't we choose the
National Timor cars, which are being promoted?

We can see on TV news that the Indian Prime Minister uses a
"made in India" car as his official car, and the French President
uses a Peugeot.

The second picture is on the Pondok Bambu detention center.
Its condition is extremely poor, even beds are not available, so
prisoners have to sleep on mats. Ten boys occupy a cell and the
quality of water is disgusting. This dreadful water causes
stomach aches and skin irritations. A 13-year-old boy died there
recently. Although the cause of his death is still unclear, the
bad condition of the cells might have aggravated his illness.
Whatever funding limitations face the government, the prison
needs improving.

M SULHAN ASKANDAR

Jakarta