Why should I accept what I don't believe? Every human being has his own belief and because of that every human being has his right to insist on what he believes.

Islam has believed that Islam is the only true religion and so with other religions. What is important we shouldn't blend our own identity into one new religion called pluralism.

INDRA

Jakarta

I could not agree more with the subject title of this article. It will be a rocky path along the path of religious tolerance. Before I came to Indonesia, I was a little unsure due to the negative publicity which the outside world gets to hear and see from the biased media in their home countries.

But the mutual respect and sincerity which I received during my years in Indonesia makes me rather confident that Indonesia will emerge a stronger country after each crisis.

JAMES

Jakarta

Monorail please! -- Oct. 11, p. 7

The idea for a monorail in Jakarta in order to fight traffic jams and pollution is understandable. Your arguments for a monorail system in Jakarta on the other hand are not that strong.

There are alternative methods for a meaningful improvement of public transport.

The fact is that a quick monorail does not foresee efficiently short stopovers, which are needed in a completely urbanized area. A fine-mazed high-frequency network for integrated short- and long-distance public transport is needed for sustainable long-term development of Jakarta.

ARJAN HOMINGH

Amsterdam

I refer to Arriyadhul Qolbi's letter in which he gave quite a few reasons in favor of a monorail system.

I would like to add one more reason he has missed out that I included in my previous letter (The Jakarta Post, May 16) in some other context.

I said that as far as a mass commuter system for Jakarta is concerned, an underground subway system or a "local" rail link at ground level are unsuitable because even minor rains cause flooding of our city in no time.

The only reliable system for Jakarta would be a monorail at an elevated height, like the link between the city and airport in Japan and the monorail system adopted by Kuala Lumpur.

Our city should build such a system at the earliest. But with the economic meltdown that has hit us, it looks like a dream for it to be fulfilled in my lifetime at least.

K. B. KALE

Jakarta

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