'Terima kasih sekali'

'Terima kasih sekali'

Today this newspaper celebrates its 12th anniversary. For many newspapers in developed countries, 12 year of existence is, perhaps, no big deal. It would be just like coming of age.

But for us to be able to reach this age, is, by any means, a real feat. In light of last June's closure of three popular weeklies, we can be said to have passed through a year of living dangerously, in the truest sense of that phrase.

And thank God, thus far we have managed to come through this Dante-like purgatorio fully intact, if not strengthened in our determination to continue to pursue the ideals of this newspaper: to be a true journal of Indonesia today and to bring the Indonesian perspective to the international community.

And, of course, we draw much of our strength from the support of our readers, who unrelentingly continue to shower us with undaunted encouragement, letters of concern and kind words. In response to all of this, we have nothing to give back except a very sincere "Terima kasih sekali" -- "Thank you very much" -- and the promise that we will do our best to persistently strive for excellence.

Despite all of the troubles, we are very proud that we were able to fulfill our last years' promises. Among other things, last September we started to publish The Sunday Post, which, from the responses we have received so far, has gained wide and popular acceptance among our readers.

In the last year, we have also expanded our international service by adding another two (up to four from two) leading world data companies (including Reuters Ltd. in London and Dialog in Palo Alto) which have signed agreements to digitally link up our service with theirs. That means that by hooking up their computers to those database companies, subscribers in places like North America and Europe can now read The Jakarta Post on the same day it is issued.

It is also a great pleasure to report that in both terms of circulation and advertisement the Post has steadily climbed to a higher point. Today, for example, our paid circulation is 37,500. This is, of course, the result of our consistent strategy of marketing a quality product, which was -- and still is -- among the prime objectives of the newspaper's founders.

An interesting thing to note is, for the last three years we have noticed a shift in our readership profile. Contrary to popular perceptions, according to our latest surveys and field research, Indonesians now make up 63 percent of the Post's readers, while the remaining 37 percent are expatriates. In terms of educational backgrounds, current positions, and income brackets, the paper still has the highest readers' profile. In short, the Post's readers are the cream of the cream of society.

While this is heartening, it also poses a challenge to us, because we are aware that the higher the reader profile, the higher also are the expectations. Shorthanded as we are, we have made it our commitment to consistently improve the quality of this newspaper.

We are also well aware that nowadays we live in an uncertain situation. Something unexpected might always happen. And in the face of this potential danger, we sometimes do not have an answer. But, whatever may happen, this newspaper will remain committed to promoting a speedier democratization process in this country.

Such things aside, from the newspaper business point of view, we also can see hard days ahead of us. We can foresee, for instance, a steep increase in the price of newsprint, which may reach up to 50 percent within this year alone. In other words, this situation may force us to raise our subscription rate in the near future.

Certainly this is not good news to our readers, but the rise in the newsprint price is a worldwide phenomenon we simply cannot avoid.

To disclose this gloomy forecast on an anniversary day, when we should rejoice and celebrate is, perhaps, not a wise thing. But, it is our policy to share whatever news there is with you at the earliest possible moment. This is because we believe that we share the same ideals, and understand that it does, indeed, take two to tango.