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