Must the price rise so much?

As a reader of this newspaper, I would like to express my opinion about the increase in the subscription rate of The Jakarta Post as of March 1, 1998. I have been reading this paper for more than three years and I enjoy it. However, I was surprised by the announcement from the publisher that you have decided to increase the price of the paper.

As an English teacher, I need to improve my English. But I would have to shave more than Rp 30,000 a month from my salary to continue reading your paper. After that, I would not be able to cover my daily needs. Maybe I will have to stop reading this paper.

Please remember that your readers are not only from middle and upper classes. Perhaps many Post readers are like myself. A few months ago, you raised the price and yet we didn't complain. But if you raise the subscription rate from Rp 22,000 to Rp 36,000, the civil servants of this country might not be able to afford it.

As everybody knows, we have to cope with the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities. It is really very difficult for people with fixed salaries to manage the situation.

A 15 percent to 20 percent price rise might be tolerable, even though my salary has remained the same for the past few years. To stop reading this paper would really be a sad thing.

GUNAWAN AHMAD

Tangerang, West Java