Responsibility of Pancasila press

Responsibility of Pancasila press

Reading newspapers relaxes and refreshes me. I forget my
tiredness and worries. I used to learn much from newspapers, but
not anymore. During the last few weeks, newspapers have added to
my stress. Crimes, robberies, killings, rapes, and countless
warnings about the possible communist comeback feature in the
papers. One cannot deny that communism is a real danger, but why
repeat this again and again.

Are we losing our self-confidence? Are we losing our belief in
the power and strength of Pancasila? All these warnings make
people nervous, they are suspicious of each other and some are
heading for nervous breakdowns. The daily Merdeka on Nov. 13,
1995, reported that at the recent congress of Kosgoro, almost all
the ministers pointed out this very sensitive situation. People
are easily caught by all kinds of issues and they do not know
what to do or where to turn to and they therefore become easy
prey for agitators.

It is about time we put a stop to this situation. We should
continuously point out that we are strong because we have a
mighty weapon called Pancasila, which has proven its strength in
the past.

We should point out the progress Indonesia is making. A strong
economy, growing industry, a remarkable advance in the mastery of
technology. We have proven we can construct planes and boats that
have acquired a prospective internationally market.

Another success is the decrease in the percentage of poor
people and the rapid increase in literacy. Health conditions have
improved and the posyandu (integrated health service) has drawn
world attention.

These facts should be emphasized, not the formless
organizations or any other potential dangers.

We have enough intelligence organizations, the Armed Forces is
strong, and our government has the legal power to act. So let
these organizations tackle the potential dangers silently and
efficiently and allow the people to lead calm and happy lives. If
subversion is detected, the law enforcers should act quickly and
resolutely to crush it. I sometimes read about deeds detrimental
to our country, but no action is taken.

I read about an Islamic sect trying to revive Negara Islam
Indonesia (Islamic State) in West Java. I didn't read what steps
the government took. A nip in the bud policy should be followed.

What the government tells the people about the progress made
is no lie. The facts can be substantiated by statistics. Of
course there are still many problems, but we must not forget that
problems will always be there. We must be optimistic and find a
solution to every problem. Only pessimists see problems in every
solution.

Perhaps news about criminals has commercial value, but
newspapers should anticipate the effect on the population's
minds.

Of course there are setbacks, there are failures. The
government shouldn't hide them, but should be able to balance the
bad and the good.

The government, knowing what is wrong, should work hard to
correct the problems. At the moment, the government leaves the
impression that it found a scapegoat in the activities of ex-
communist party members.

There are so many things that can counter the bad things,
which sometimes are blown up out of proportion by people who do
not like the government. A responsible Pancasila press should not
fall into this trap and help maintain a nice and warm atmosphere
by writing balanced reports. Bad things should not be hidden,
people should know them, but the people should also know that
everything isn't black.

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta