I

refer to an article titled 'Officials angry at critics of award for SBY', (The Jakarta Post, May 22, p4).

First of all, respect is an aspect of love. This should be the principle of any Indonesian citizen to develop the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

This principle should be reciprocally applied, from Indonesian to Indonesian, both top-down and bottom-up, without exception.

Second, it could be said that because of his love for Indonesia, and his respect for his fellow Indonesians, the President and the presidential spokesman, Rev. Magnis Suseno SJ, an Indonesian to the core, had all the more reason to make a critical, constructive written appeal to the US-based Appeal of Conscience Foundation (ACF) that he was against its award for the President.

This effort of his was indirectly merely a knock on the door of the President's conscience.

Third, shouldn't someone like a presidential spokesman be so exemplary as to avoid the use of not-constructive, connotative entries, e.g. 'narrow-minded' in reference to fellow countrymen?

Fourth, the republic badly needs love and respect from every citizen, i.e. statesmen and the people, the media in their reports and writers or readers to the editor.

These all indicate love for the republic and reciprocal respect from Indonesian to Indonesian. Please have a dream of a great republic with integrity, true in word and in deed.

Benjamin Wuller
Jakarta