What is 'Your Letters' for?
I have been following "Your Letters" for some time. I even wrote a letter once (Mistakes in Crossword, Aug. 6, 1995). In my letter there were several questions that I had hoped would be answered by the editor, but there were no answers. Sometimes I wonder what the purpose of "Your Letters" column is? Is it a place for people to give their opinions or is it a place for people to criticize each other? I notice that there are some people who write regularly and turn "Your Letters" into a debate forum.
I would like to use this opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude to the French government and people, especially to Mr. Pierre-Alain Hubert, the king of fireworks and all sponsors, who made the fireworks display on Aug. 19, 1995 possible. It was really spectacular entertainment. I was among the lucky people who witnessed the grand fireworks extravaganza from my home, which is close enough to the National Monument.
Also I would like to thank Mr. Oei Eng Goan, the members of his group and The Jakarta Post for presenting The Mousetrap. It was probably not a very professional production, as Mr. C.G. Asmara wrote on Aug. 25, 1995. It was nevertheless an admirable one. I absolutely agree with Mr. Asmara about the performance of Ms. Esty Sutyoko and Mr. Aries Purnama who acted as Mollie Ralston and Christopher Wren respectively. Their English is so good that I almost couldn't believe it was spoken by Indonesians.
When I watched The Mousetrap on the second night (Sunday, Aug. 20, 1995) there weren't many Indonesians either. However, I hope Mr. Oei Eng Goan and his group will come out with another play soon.
Concerning the issue of "racism" I have some comments. I refer to the case of Mr. Gulliver, Ms. Uli Aritonang and Mr. Thom Burns. Why do people like to mock mixed couples? Maybe those people were irritated that an Indonesian woman should choose a foreigner as a boyfriend or a husband, instead of a fellow Indonesian. Moreover, a bule (I'm not saying this in a derogatory manner) is usually known to have sex before marriage (although a lot of Indonesians do too), so those women who have bule boyfriends are considered "cheap." But, of course, those women usually come from not-so-well educated families.
Finally, my advice is, as one writer says, ignore those people, it's not worth your time!
LUSIANA HASAN
Jakarta
Note: Our "Your Letters" column is intended primarily for an exchange of ideas on various issues.
-- Editor