Put up with small efforts!

It was good to see Adinda's forceful reply to my initial letter of Jan. 9, 1999, though I may not agree with all that is now put forward.

All sections of the public everywhere in Indonesia recognize that change -- change in most things -- is needed. But change, just for the sake of change, is by itself not a good idea.

To enact new laws, edicts, decrees and also the methods by which they are to be made, needs considerable thought, and very careful wording. This needs time, much to students frustrations. However much students may distrust the government, and members of the House of Representatives (DPR), they are presently the only legal bodies to deal with. They are both busy making changes, but not wide enough to your liking.

However, your points have not gone unheard by political parties, of which we have now 100 or more. To me, at this time, the leaders are the people you should be concentrating on. Elections are now only five months away, and they will take place. You will then have an entirely new set of DPR, and ministers all with reform foremost in their minds. It is they who should enact or amend the law in line with the aims and aspirations of all Indonesians.

So, be patient. Put up with the small efforts now. You have made your points many times all over Indonesia. Help, rather than hinder new party leaders.

Demonstrations do more than temporarily upset Jakarta's daily life, and it is the small men who suffer more than the coat-and- tie businessmen. I can tell you, you would not get many votes from taxi drivers, or from small shop owners or food stalls around town.

It got to the stage, as you must well know, that in December at the whiff of a rumor of a coming demonstration, whole sections of Jakarta closed up, not by the police, by fear of what was to follow -- not by the student groups, but by the hangers-on looking for trouble at the slightest chance. Their rampages undid all that the students tried for.

Apart from political matters, students must remember that Indonesia lives on trade, on selling its products, on providing a solid base for investment not just by foreigners, but also by local investors. An air of instability, caused by demonstrations and worse, does not help in reviving Indonesia as a nation worth investing in.

So, once again may I recommend no more demonstrations. Have your group cooperate with new national political leaders, and in that way ensure that the future of Indonesia is in safe, secure hands.

DEREK C. SEAGROVE

Jakarta