Editorial: On our Silver Anniversary

Fri, 04/25/2008 12:11 PM  |  Opinion

The Jakarta Post marks its Silver Anniversary today. We have come a long way from when we first hit the streets on April 25, 1983. As we look back on our journey over the past 25 years, we also use this occasion to renew our commitment to providing the highest standards of service, including journalism, to the public.

We have made it this far thanks to the widespread public support we have enjoyed, and we are looking forward to another 25 years and more of dedicated service to readers, the general public and the nation.

The Jakarta Post started as the vision of Ali Murtopo, then the information minister, who in 1982 felt that Indonesia was not well represented in the international media. Most stories about Indonesia were written by non-Indonesians.

A credible English-language newspaper, written and edited by Indonesian journalists, would give the world the benefit of learning about Indonesia from the perspective of Indonesians. Thus The Jakarta Post was born, along with its original motto, "The Window to Indonesia".

The Jakarta Post is a unique experience. It was established by a consortium of major publishing houses who competed against one another in the Indonesian language press. The original members of the consortium were Suara Karya newspaper, Kompas/Gramedia group, Tempo magazine, Sinar Harapan (now Suara Pembaruan) and Harmoko, then chairman of the Indonesian Journalists Association.

That the proprietors joined hands shows the concern they shared about how poorly Indonesia was being portrayed to the world. This is exactly what the publisher and editors of the new newspaper set out to correct as soon as they began work.

The Jakarta Post in essence filled a big hole that had existed in the way Indonesia was being reported to the world. The reports by non-Indonesians and non-Indonesian media were fine and good, but very often they failed to explain the complexity of this very diverse and young nation, or the challenges that the people were facing.

The arrival of The Jakarta Post could not have been more timely. By 1990, it had established itself as a credible English-language newspaper, and helped explain Indonesia to the world through the rapid globalization during that decade.

The paper was also there to report on dramatic events, the financial crisis in 1997, the riots and the people's power movement that led to the resignation of president Soeharto in 1998, the violent separation of East Timor in 1999, the deadly communal conflicts in Maluku, West Kalimantan and Central Sulawesi in 2000, the national struggle to transform the country into a democracy, the devolution of power to the regions and the succession of four presidents in the post-Soeharto years.

Far from being a disinterested party reporting on these unfolding events, The Jakarta Post has taken an active part in pushing for change. Since the days of Soeharto, the newspaper through its editorials has taken a strong stance on questions of democracy, freedom, human rights, governance and the environment. Granted, these stances took place within the limits of freedom permitted by the regime, but since the line was never clear, The Jakarta Post continuously pushed and tested the lines of freedom.

An unintended consequence of The Jakarta Post was that the newspaper has, over the years, produced an army of young Indonesians capable of writing in English. Since writing in English is one of the core competences of journalism, many of our young journalists have gone on to work for other institutions as soon as they established their name and credibility as writers.

Some are now working for the international media, United Nations agencies, the ministry of foreign affairs, as communications directors in the corporate world and as freelance writers.

Two of our former editors-in-chief, Sabam Siagian and Susanto Pudjomartono, went on to become envoys representing Indonesia in Australia and Russia, respectively, a reflection of the many contributions the newspaper has made to the nation.

The opportunity to carve out a name through writing has not been limited to the journalists of The Jakarta Post. A number of thinkers, writers and columnists have contributed to the breadth, depth and diversity of thoughts and opinions in Indonesia through articles in the paper.

More than an English-language newspaper, The Jakarta Post has become part and parcel of the transformations that have taken place in the country, contributing in no small part to the changes over the last 25 years.

Today, as we reflect on this journey, we wish to thank our readers, advertisers, news agencies and all the stakeholders that have been involved, directly or otherwise, in the development of The Jakarta Post and in making the newspaper what it is today.

Most of all, we have the Indonesian public and the nation to thank for allowing us the opportunity to be part of the very exciting changes that are taking place in our country. For better or for worse, The Jakarta Post will continue to explain Indonesia to the rest of the world for the next 25 years and beyond.

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