Open letter to Mrs. Inten Suweno

Open letter to Mrs. Inten Suweno

On the morning of Oct. 4, I passed a Jakarta newspaper to my
son, 12, to ask for his comments on an interview run in a
newspaper with Minister of Social Affairs Mrs. Inten Suweno.

After a few minutes he threw the paper away, saying, "How
insulting she is, Mother! Is it true that the beautiful minister
could deride journalists like that? Does she think it is easy to
be a journalist?" My son's comments are not without reason.

Dear Mrs. Inten Suweno, your words addressed to journalists at
Merdeka Palace on Friday, Oct. 3, are indeed shocking. Because
journalists did not wear uniforms at the time of your school
days, you said, "And so they became only journalists."

Can you explain what you mean by that? I would like to know
what you have thought of journalists all these years? A side job
without value? A profession nobody wants to take up if not
compelled by necessity?

I have been a journalist since 1977. When I first started my
studies at the University of Indonesia I had already done some
journalistic work which I enjoyed. I decide it was a vocation for
life, not a situation created by circumstances of fate. I feel
fortunate that until this day I have always felt dignity in
working as an Indonesian journalist. Whenever I work amid
ministers, tycoons and even at meetings led by the President, I
never feel that I am "only" a journalist, not for one second.

When I was invited by my son's school principal to give a
lecture at Lippo Pelita Harapan School in Karawaci, it was on
account of my being a journalist. I was asked to relate some of
my experiences as a journalist to junior high school students.
Ibu Inten, I will never forget the pride and love reflected in my
son's eyes when he watched me, his mother, talk about my work to
his friends. Again, I am proud of my profession.

If I were not a journalist, I am not sure that I would have
witnessed the normalization of Sino-Indonesian relations, that I
would have gone to Cartagena, Turmenistan or would have witnessed
the demonstration in Dresden two years ago. I went to all those
places on assignment. I was not a tourist who could pay for all
that out of his own pocket.

Mrs. Inten Suweno, you may have forgotten that we once had
Adam Malik, a former journalist who became foreign minister and
who led the general assembly at the United Nations. After his
term as Indonesia's vice president he returned to journalism.
There was B.M. Diah, a strong journalist who became ambassador.
Harmoko who still has a brilliant career and Assegaf who has
returned to journalism after his ambassadorial post. They
were/are all journalists who certainly did not wear uniforms in
their school days. By the way, I would like to know, if there
comes a day when you are no longer a minister, what profession
will you take up?

Ibu Inten, please take care what you say. We are now in a
situation that gives a lot of concern to all of us. Uncertain
economic conditions, disasters, and what have you. Do not add to
our sadness by using unnecessary words that can only hurt. Please
take caution that adolescents like my son do not ask, "Can a
beautiful minister like her berate journalists in that way?"

LINDA DJALIL

Jakarta