Footsteps by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Author:Pramoedya Ananta Toer [Toer, Pramoedya Ananta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Historical, Literary
ISBN: 9780688137489
Google: pal_AAAAQBAJ
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 1995-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

I could no longer question Frischboten’s reliability. Together we had solved the problem of the News Agency’s refusal to sell us their cable reports on important domestic news. They would sell us only international news. And our Native readers weren’t so interested in international news. We couldn’t afford to hire reporters of our own yet. In order to obtain local news we struck out on an unusual path. Medan opened its pages to all Natives, whether they held official positions or not, who wanted to report the problems they were facing, the troubles they confronted. Any problem, any trouble. Frischboten was ready to deal with all his strength with the cases that came in. People could get free legal advice. And underneath the name of the paper, on the front page, I printed the following explanation: “Open to any Native to present his opinion or to report his troubles.”

Within three months our office at No. 1 Naripan Street was continuously full of people coming from all over the place to report the troubles they were suffering—oppression, theft of their property, injury to their bodies by the colonial authorities and local elite, both white and brown. Sometimes it involved a conspiracy between the two of them, white and brown. Our administrative office in Bogor was also always full of village people asking for justice. Often it wasn’t only legal justice they were after but natural justice. They became the source of news for Medan. Within three months we had won the public’s confidence. And after three months Sandiman also turned up again.

He came to Buitenzorg one evening: “Yes, I have to admit, I have succeeded in no longer distrusting Tuan.” He started work in Bandung together with Wardi.

He had gone back to Solo and Jogjakarta to carry out the tasks I had given him, even while he distrusted me. The paper had restored his faith. He had contacted his brother in the Legion. They were making preparations to depart for Lombok. But the Legion’s officers all came to an agreement that they would not go and fight their brothers out there across from Java.

In such busy times I would have forgotten altogether about Maysoroh had she not written so often. Once she wrote:

Mama is already far advanced in her pregnancy and is going to give birth again in a few days. She hopes to be able to read the latest edition of your paper before the baby arrives.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.