Real men don't...

I was astonished by Sawrey-Cookson's letter (March 23, 1995), which manifests a lack of respect towards the country which hosts us.

It's inadmissible that Sawrey-Cookson, because of his "impelling needs" for information about rugby, passes disrespectful judgment on Indonesian people.

Sawrey-Cookson's demands are preposterous and, according to him, Indonesia should be in his service. His assertion that Indonesians cannot be considered "real men" is absurd. Moreover, they have been considered of lower level in comparison with neighboring Asian countries.

How can Sawrey-Cookson judge Indonesians as "physically not powerful?" Why does he insist on saying that Indonesians do not excel in soccer? (With all respect for the source, let me ask him "Why beholdest though the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?").

I'm of the opinion that rugby has at least two irrefutable and positive aspects:

1. To keep 30 bullies away from the center of town for a couple of hours.

2. To give a colored man the opportunity to pursue and hit a white one (especially in America, the UK and South Africa), while millions of spectators cheer him on.

Badminton, on the other hand, is a combination of many psychological qualities. Such as: athletic strength, reflexes, quickness and, above all, intelligence. This is why English people excel in rugby and Indonesians in badminton.

PIERO RONCI

Jakarta