Sakura trees at Botanical Garden

I saw the photo of the famous "Sakura tree" at the Botanical Garden, Bogor, posted in your newspaper and had to wince! Sakura means "Japan" and Japan means cleanliness, especially for plants, which are taken care of.

A Sakura tree is pruned by hand each year and kept free of leeches and other parasites, because it is sprayed against pests and when in bloom is a feast for the eyes, like a pink cloud of beauty.

This picture shows a very sorry tree of a particular species, full of leeches and growing in all directions, with a wisp of pink flowers visible to one side. A botanical garden should be the pride of a city and the plants should be cared for, to be enjoyed by visitors.

Are there no specialists at the Botanical Garden, to show the workers there how to take care -- that means love -- growing things? The same attitude prevails everywhere: Having or getting something new and then using it carelessly until it becomes an eyesore and is cast aside. A proper sense of long-term maintenance should be instilled in all people, from childhood onward, because that saves a lot of money.

I remember some years ago Jakarta had special garbage vehicles that worked with hydraulic pressure to compress the waste and thus where able to take on a lot of garbage. Where are they now? For sure, they were not maintained or serviced regularly and when the mechanism failed, were just put aside to rot. New buses have been bought, but hundreds of broken old buses are rotting somewhere. Why were they not kept in shape and maintained, as is done in other countries? They could have been modified for their new purpose and thus save a lot of money.

MRS. SUHARTO Jakarta