People to people (2)

People to people (2)

It is true that effrontery knows no limits. I refer to Marcus
Gliwitzki's and Peter Law's letters (The Jakarta Post, Nov. 2,
1996). Their criticisms of Paul Wesson's letter (Oct. 29, 1996)
represent a rare example of intolerance for the country which
hosts all of us. Might I know by those two champions of the
savoir vivre what connection can be found between the time spent
in Jakarta by Mr. Wesson and his will to be polite and friendly
to its inhabitants (and not "populace" as Mr. Law likes to
describe them)?

I have spent about 10 years in Indonesia and I fully share Mr.
Wesson's opinion. I always return people's greetings, including
when they say "hello mister", and I am kind to my neighbors'
children, who know me just as "Um bule."

I believe that only a distorted mind can see whatever
intricacies are hidden behind a simple friendly greeting and only
a bizarre-minded person can judge Jakarta as a "different planet"
or a town populated by people who "are not as they seem".

Mr. Gliwitzki and Mr. Law assert that they have been living in
Indonesia for a long time, but their letters show that they
haven't understood where they are yet. What a pity to see people
who insist on throwing years and years to the wind.

PIERO RONCI

Jakarta