On the white media

A good purpose, poorly served, was my impression of the article The media is part of problem of racism (The Jakarta Post, May 2, 2001) by Mr. Teun A. van Dijk, who succeeds, besides the good points he makes, in being simultaneously hyper-, hypo-, and uncritical.

Although the introduction of a code of ethics is a matter that concerns journalists, the ideas Mr. V. Dijk cherishes might ultimately restrict the information newspaper readers have access to and, for that reason, I would like to make a few remarks.

Although Mr. V. Dijk pretends to be averse to bias, his statements on the "white" media and the elite are so negative in such a generalized way, that their offending nature can hardly be denied. From his name and background I assume that he belongs to "the white elite" himself and although self-criticism can be a healthy quality, this bigoted flagellation strikes me as a disguised form of self-satisfaction (look, how different and impeccable I am!).

Journalists are not "the only professionals in society without a code of ethics". Other examples are writers, painters, composers, astronomists etc. In a neighboring article, Ati Nurbaiti exposes what the "Sara" code (an acronym for ethnicity, religion, race and groups) meant for Indonesia.

It is another "established and well-documented fact" that in societies where racial, ethnic, religious or other differences are manifestly present, social problems or even conflicts are prone to arise (even in remote areas where the western media has little influence). Every government has to consider this sad phenomenon and is forced to control the influx of foreigners. I am flabbergasted when the author states that "immigration in a globalizing world is a normal phenomenon" without even indicating that there might be a hint of a problem. I wonder whether Mr. V. Dijk is that naive or that this is an example of the " critical monitoring" he adheres to.

Cautious though complete information about problems in society is the right of every free citizen. I am very concerned about any kind of preventative "critical monitoring", especially by informants with the attitude of Mr. V Dijk; this will inevitably bring about an onslaught on free intelligence.

Probably Mr. V. Dijk has many noble ideas, but he might also remember the Dutch saying: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions".

H.I.G. HOLLEMANS

Gianyar, Bali