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