This is a comment on “In defense of shopping malls,” (The Jakarta Post, Aug. 7).

Mushrooming shopping malls are a threat to Indonesian stability and harmony. They are temples of materialism for the happy few. The under-privileged are confronted by luxury malls in so many places, while basic public infrastructure is practically non-existent.

Why can’t Jakarta have the facilities, public parks, recreational areas, children’s play grounds, terraced boulevards and quality museums like Singapore, Hong Kong  and even Hanoi?

Indonesia’s wealth is not used for such purposes. Much of it is wasted in shopping mall developments and other get-rich-quick endeavors. I understand that many well-off Indonesians (like the wealthier Indonesian Chinese) don’t want to pay taxes (which could be used for public infrastructure) because the government is perceived as corrupt, inefficient and unaccountable.

Of course they would rather spend their money in shopping malls. More than a few might even be involved in forms of collusion. However, it is also in the mall-lover’s own long-term interest to promote fair taxation and public infrastructure, even if that means less malls.

Paolo L Scalpini
Toulouse

Popular

Explore nearby, spend wisely: intra-provincial travel boom

Furniture exporters decry new quarantine rule

Jokowi faces storm of lawsuits six months after stepping down