Sumitro's statement

Sumitro's statement

From Kompas

I agree with Sumitro Djojohadikusumo's statement regarding the crisis saying that "the problem now is not monetary any longer" (Kompas, Jan. 11). What is the meaning of a nation if the people only focus on economic, technological and other matters which are viewed as "prestigious" in the eyes of certain groups.

We seem to have forgotten that a nation's progress and resilience are related to various social aspects.

I still recall statements by some people a few years ago that we as a nation were behind in technical matters and should catch up technologically. Moreover, whether we wanted to or not, we should follow developments in other countries to be able to compete in the globalization era.

At that time, I suggested that social matters in our community should be focussed upon just as much as technological progress.

Just look at the increasingly bad state of our community's social mentality. Self interest and materialism have invaded our nation's psyche lately.

Thumbs up to Dr. Sumitro and to those who try to remind us that the problems being faced by Indonesians now are no longer only monetary but have spread to various other aspects of our society.

Even though we may have different backgrounds and interests, let us all unite to overcome our problems so that we can avoid further catastrophe.

We could open a dialog with one another, analyze the existing social problems in our society and join together to fight the egoistic and materialistic illness found in our society today.

MARINA A. ISAKH

Depok, West Java