Tasteless caricature

Tasteless caricature

The caricature printed in The Jakarta Post on June 24,
depicting an angel preventing a soldier from committing human
rights abuses in Aceh, does not reflect high intellectual taste.

As if journalists are such angels and as if our armed forces
are all thugs not worth keeping!

These are the kinds of political caricatures the Western press
like to make of the late president Sukarno or of any other Third
World leader.

I wonder whether the cartoonist who draws such pictures
belongs to "the intelligentsia" as mentioned by the writer of
Media besieged by nationalist zealots on June 26 of the Post. The
writer seems to be proud to belong to "these only real
intellectuals".

This picture is degrading for both the Post and our own sense
of dignity.

It is not the first time I have written about the change in
the quality of the Post from an intelligent, well-balanced
newspaper to the subjective gossip-laden newsletter it is today.

This is a pity.

SUMARSONO SASTROWARDOYO, Tangerang, Banten