More libraries, please: Children and their parents gather near a van, which functions as a mobile library, parked in Kebon Manggis subdistrict, East Jakarta early last month. The mobile library is to help to improve reading habit among children, particularly in slum areas. JP/Ricky Yudhistira
Dec. 23, p. 8
Most Indonesians don’t read even if they can spare the time and afford to buy reading books, magazines or the like. Middle class Jakartans, as well as people in other big cities, spend most of their free time frequenting malls; I call them the “mallers”.
The mallers sometimes go “malling” just to kill their boredom, or to see and be seen. Sometimes they buy things they don’t need, especially when there are sales on; as sales can be on all year round, they spend all year hunting for branded stuff as well as nonbranded items. The housewives really are housewives, not homemakers as most married women in developed countries call themselves.
Reading is still the exception rather than the norm. It’s very difficult to ask friends to meet at people’s homes to discuss social, economic or even political issues. I once asked my friends to join me reading books on selected subjects to be discussed later at our respective homes, but none of my friends were interested. (By Sjeline, Jakarta)
Your comments:
You bring a good point there, but I doubt the Jakarta municipalities will invest in libraries. Things like libraries should be initiated by a group of people who have the strong motivation, willing to volunteer some free time to set up such a system, and pooling together excellent book collections.
In terms of funding, I am still not sure. On a different note, what’s the relationship between going to church and the habit of not reading? Your letter is a bit out of focus there.
Novie Ko
San Francisco
Who killed the reading habit in Indonesia: Was it TV, gadgets or the government? Reading culture has been degraded in Indonesia. Children today are perplexed by never ending TV programs, Internet games, high-cost entertainment, cell phones, iPods and so forth. Living in era of information and technology doesn’t guarantee that our children will develop their reading habits.
Children are the future of a nation. One of the most effective strategies to create good quality education is by enhancing the reading habits of children.
With a population of 235 million people, Indonesia only publishes about 10,000 new titles of books a year. This is far fewer than the 16,000 new titles that are published annually in neighboring Malaysia for its population of 24.5 million.
United States produce 75,000 new books per annum while India publishes 28,000. Parents have a very significant role to play in nurturing reading habits. Parents are teachers who must help children
to read.
Geradus Sam
Jakarta
It’s interesting when you said that most sensitive issues are written in English newspapers because only educated people tend to read it. Actually, it’s true and I just realized it.
The level of comprehension tends to be higher in English newspapers. It’s really sad that our government doesn’t pay attention to providing reading materials at public libraries here.
There are five libraries in Jakarta, however, it’s very difficult to know their location and two of them are under renovation. We have celebrated 64 years of independence, but we have failed to maintain and build good quality libraries here. In Singapore 4.2 million citizens (2008) share 37 libraries with free high-speed Internet access and up-to-date books. In the same year, Jakarta with 10 million citizens, only has five libraries. And guess what? The per capita income of Singaporeans is forty times higher than Jakartans. Wonder why?
Given Amadeus
Jakarta
It’s truly interesting to read your letters about housewives in Indonesia, who are really housewives, not homemakers.
Yes, we really need to develop our education and reading habits here. Most of my friends rarely read (some are aggressive readers though), and it really affects their children’s reading skills and comprehension.
Majority of schools and parents here have failed to develop their children’s reading habits at an early age. Most children are “stuck” and hypnotized by useless and low-level TV entertainment.
We are living in an informative society but it doesn’t automatically making us a learning society.
Reading should be instilled from an early age. The bigger the size of the TV, then the bigger the size of the library at home should be.
Imelda Janti
Jakarta
Sjeline, we all agree with you. Our country is experiencing a character and learning-spirit degradation.
It’s due to lack of reading culture. People prefer to visit the malls instead of libraries. They choose to smoke rather than read.
In this nation with 235 million citizens, it’s much easier to find cigarettes rather than libraries or even clean toilets. When citizens are too lazy to read, they are easier to persuade to be more consumptive.
Statistics of gadget, car and other secondary needs materials bear this out. For Indonesia to be a well developed country, the government should prioritize building high quality libraries accessible by all citizens.
Lu Ching Wan
Jakarta
I do agree with you. Thank you for spending your precious time to write about reading and traffic in Jakarta.
My husband and I introduced fun reading to our baby boy. Now, he is 16 months and he likes reading
so much. Reading habits will certainly develop soft citizens, those who are easy to cooperate and listen to others.
It’s time for Jakarta governor to promote free reading at public libraries. Reading is fun. It’s a gateway to a better future.
Elfia Mardianti
Jakarta
I strongly agree with you. I spent six months studying in Singapore and when I returned, I had become a book addict. The libraries and bookstores there are fabulous.
You are right about the traffic jams.
My wife and I used to ride a motorcycle. But since we lost our second baby due to the brutal way of driving of most Jakartans, we now drive a car. Most of our citizens do not like to read and that’s why they tend to ignore all the traffic signs on the streets.
Reading is an active process and it develops our character. Hopefully our government will build more high quality libraries in Jakarta, instead of malls.
Henri Lois
Jakarta
Sjeline’s arguments are not convincing and not really related to one another. The traffic congestion in Jakarta is due to overpopulation, poor infrastructure, and uneven economic development: Many citizens come to Jakarta looking for work — for some of them the only jobs available are working in the upscale shopping malls.
Shopping malls are popular in Indonesia — Jakarta in particular — because shopping malls are comfortable. They are air-conditioned, there are food courts, and movie theaters as well as big book stores and coffee shops which are good places to read books. Sjeline then talks about taking her son to the public library when she lived in Europe.
Unfortunately, she doesn’t specify how she went there: Presumably, she drove a vehicle and if one hundred individuals chose to drive to the public library at the same time, then the public library would
become a source of traffic congestion as well. Reading does not necessarily make one more educated or intellectual.
Gringo Reng
The United States
