Our 21st anniversary

Our 21st anniversary

The Jakarta Post has just reached the challenging age of 21,
as the first edition of the paper saw the light of day on Monday,
April 25, 1983. For a newspaper, a 21-year history is not a
particularly outstanding achievement. Some newspapers in this
relatively young country have already passed their 50th year of
publication.

Getting by in the bad times and prospering in the good is only
part of a newspaper's life. What is more important is how
relevant the paper is to its readers, and how significant its
contribution to the public at large. For the Post, the challenge
of making the paper relevant to its readers and significant to
the public at large -- every day, seven days a week -- is indeed
huge, and many times it seemed insurmountable.

Especially so, as this is an English-language newspaper in a
country whose population speaks and thinks in more than 250
distinctly different languages, spread over more than 17,000
islands. On the other hand, this paper is the only one that
speaks the language of the world at large and, as such, the only
independent reference on a country with more than 220 million
people -- the fifth-largest in the world in terms of population.

Catering to such a diverse audience, inside and outside the
country, does indeed pose an enormous task for our journalists.
Working "24 hours a day, seven days a week", they strive
original) to build a strong culture of independence and a basic
sense of fairness and courage to do what is right, with a sense
of responsibility. Amid the superabundance and immediacy of
hourly information, they have to select the most relevant and
significant, and then provide objective analytical journalism.

That task put this newspaper in a very vulnerable position
during its first 15 years of existence, until the end of the
authoritarian regime of former president Soeharto, who abruptly
quit the presidency in May 1998. During those times, however, it
was gradually able to express the ideas and aspirations that
prevailed within the Indonesian community. The assumption at that
time -- that the newspaper was read mainly by expatriates --
provided some breathing space that the paper sought to capitalize
on, and thereby encouraged our colleagues in the Indonesian media
to take a more critical stance toward a politically decaying
regime. The paper grew to become the voice of reason in
Indonesia, to some extent enabling it to take on a role as an
agenda-setting publication.

The ensuing five years, which saw the annulment of repressive
regulations on press publications, brought forward new
challenges. A free flow of information within the country,
coupled with the fast-growing world of the Internet, made our
task more complex. It required a thorough analysis of the
seemingly chaotic situation in which Indonesia was finding
itself.

The reform agenda initiated after mid-1998 did not live up to
expectations. Political reform stalled, the economy simply
muddling through. The supposed reform of the judiciary ended up
with Indonesia identified as the country with the most corrupt
judicial system in the world. Meanwhile, social harmony between
ethnic groups and adherents of different religions became very
fragile and vulnerable to power shifts in global politics.

Indonesian voters gave their verdict earlier this month in the
legislative election. They voiced disappointment and distrust at
the so-called reformist agenda. The message is loud and clear:
The people want change!

One of the most challenging questions now, is: What kind of
change do the people want? Obviously, not a return to the
authoritarian regime of Soeharto, as reflected in the tiny
proportion of voters that chose a new political party explicitly
espousing his past glories. On the other hand, an affirmative
answer seems to be elusive.

The Jakarta Post enters the current year with that question
still burning. In our drive to promote a more humane, civil
society in this very diverse country, we realize that the coming
years will not be the same as the last five: We envision more
difficult times to come. We believe in an undertaking to empower
society and enhance the nation's standing in the world so that it
will be on a par with other respected and civilized nations.

This is not, however, an ego trip. It should be a nationwide
endeavor, in which the Post can only contribute to the creation
of a nucleus of a well-informed society that is imbued with
universal humanitarian values.

We are grateful to the various parties that have helped us in
building this institution -- our readers, advertisers,
colleagues, contributors and news sources. We thank all of you
for your continued trust and loyalty.