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