On civil servants' pay

I read the news in The Jakarta Post dated Nov. 19, 1997, concerning the government's refusal to raise the pay of its civil servants. State Minister of Administrative Reforms T.B. Silalahi said the government "will not increase the salaries of the nation's civil servants".

The minister compared the present conditions to those of 1945, when all of our people bore the nation's burden together. All of us suffered in the fight against the colonial power.

So the comparison is not relevant. During our physical revolution in 1945, all people -- the nation's leaders, officials and citizens -- suffered and shared a common feeling of concern.

However, today we should frankly admit that there is an economic gap. Most people are still suffering and have to continuously tighten their belts. The acquisition of people's land by power holders and unemployment are evident everywhere.

How can the little people, including civil servants, live decently with their meager incomes? Yet there are people who are wealthy and live extravagantly, apparently at the expense of the majority's suffering. If only everyone shared a common fate, there would certainly be no complaints from any particular group in society.

For this reason, the government should look into the problem objectively and listen to the voice of the unprivileged.

HELMINA MAGDALENA S.

Jakarta