Promises are for keeping

Promises are for keeping

One of my good friends mentioned the other day that he liked
this quote, which he apparently read in a recent issue of the
Asian Wall Street Journal: It's an irony that man's achievements
are always published on the last page while his failures are
dominantly displayed on the front page of a newspaper.

This quote crossed my mind when I read The Jakarta Post on
Dec. 12, 2001. The news of the formation of a national front
"demanding the fulfillment of promises", established by Gandhi
Sukardi was relegated to page 8, whereas the news of an Ambon
ferry disaster, a Bulgarian newsreader's striptease, garbage
burning and the like grabbed the attention of the paper's front
page.

Promises are for keeping. They are commitments that must be
honored. There should be really no need to be reminded of one's
promises. But then, politicians, as a tribe everywhere, are
people who like to forget their promises to voters. Politicians
never "promise" to keep their promises. The electorate also has a
short memory, and the result: People who fail to follow through
with their promises, find it easy to get reelected. Therefore,
reminders, once in a while, by socially active groups should
greatly help in expediting matters.

Gandhi Sukardi, a record holder for his writings in the Post,
has now taken on another role as the initiator for the forum
Barisan Penagih Janji (Front for Demanders of Promise
Fulfillment). I greatly applaud his efforts in this direction and
I wish the new forum all success.

D. CHANDRAMOULI

Jakarta