On Western bias

I am writing in response to Mr. Baskoro's letter regarding Western press and colonialism in the May 10, 1996 edition of The Jakarta Post. There is no doubt that in retrospect colonialism was morally and ethically wrong. However, colonialism was not a concept created exclusively by the West, nor did it occur overnight. It is something that happened over many centuries. The Egyptians, Babylonians and Persians had ancient empires. Indeed, the Phoenicians colonized some parts of the Mediterranean as early as 1100 BC. The Romans colonized Europe, as well as some parts of the Middle East. The Vikings colonized parts of Britain in the ninth and 10th centuries. Territorial gain is unfortunately something that seems to be inherent to human nature. Even in modern times there has been tribal warfare caused by territorial disputes.

Regarding Western media, I would think that the report printed here regarding the sad tragedy of the ferry in Aceh was originally intended for Western papers. I too read the Western report and was surprised that all the Westerners were named but none of the Indonesians. On reflection, I came to the conclusion that if the original report had been intended for the West, it would be likely that some of the Western readers would know the Western survivors and therefore the names would be news to them. The press would write for their market. The report was written by one reporter and does not necessarily reflect the views of every individual in the West.

Regarding the statement and allegation of "racial self- importance," this is very sweeping. There are many people of Asian and African descent who reside in the West, and there are many individuals of different ethnic backgrounds who live harmoniously together. The West does not comprise one race. So who is Mr. Baskoro referring to? How does Mr. Baskoro know that the author of that report was of Asian origin? Comments like "racial self-importance" serve no purpose other than to incite hatred among the peoples of the world. The world belongs to all, and is comprised of individuals. Generalizing and categorizing by racial units is dangerous and artificial.

ANNE-MARIE TAPP

Cilegon, West Java