Put nation before personal interest: Soeharto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto asked the public on Tuesday
\nto place the interests of the country before personal interests
\nfor the sake of future generations.<\/p>\n
Speaking during the inauguration of a war memorial in
\nUjungpandang, South Sulawesi, Soeharto appealed to Indonesians to
\nemulate the war heroes who sacrificed their lives for the nation.<\/p>\n
\"In the old days, our fighters put their motherland's interest
\nbefore their own or their family's interests. We should all do
\nthe same now,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Soeharto inaugurated the Mandala Irian Jaya Liberation
\nMonument, built on the site of the former headquarters of the
\nMandala military command. The Mandala operation was launched in
\n1962 to wrest Irian Jaya, then called West Guinea, from Dutch
\ncontrol.<\/p>\n
The operation, authorized on Dec 19, 1961, by President
\nSukarno, was led by Soeharto, then a young major general. After
\nlengthy preparation, the operation was launched in June the
\nfollowing year. The Indonesians skirmished with Dutch troops in
\nIrian Jaya and in the waters around the province.<\/p>\n
One estimate put Indonesian casualties at 200.<\/p>\n
The seriousness shown by the Indonesian military forced the
\nNetherlands to agree to a cease-fire and transfer sovereignty of
\nWest Guinea to the United Nations, and later to Indonesia in
\n1963.<\/p>\n
Soeharto recounted last June that he left Jakarta to lead the
\ncommand on the day his youngest son was born.<\/p>\n
The son was named Tommy Mandala Putra, now a prominent
\nbusinessman. He also witnessed Tuesday's ceremony.<\/p>\n
The President said Indonesia must still work hard at
\ndeveloping the country. \"Development requires an absolute
\ndedication and strong fighting ideals,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the Mandala memorial should ignite the fighting spirit
\nof the entire Indonesian nation. \"We must keep this spirit
\ninflamed and reinvigorated, because our development is in that
\nphase that requires a strong fighting spirit.\"<\/p>\n
Soeharto also launched four other projects in South Sulawesi
\n-- the Pankajene Grand Mosque, the Wahidin Sudirohusodo General
\nHospital, and irrigation networks in Awo and Bila which are
\ncapable of supplying water to 2,500 hectares of rice fields. The
\nfive projects are worth Rp 237.5 billion (US $104 million),
\naccording to Antara.<\/p>\n
During his day-trip to Ujung Pandang, Soeharto was accompanied
\nby First Lady Mrs. Tien Soeharto, Minister of Defense and
\nSecurity Gen. (ret.) Edi Sudradjat, Armed Forces Chief Gen.
\nFeisal Tanjung and a number of other cabinet members.<\/p>\n
South Sulawesi Governor Z.B. Palaguna played host to
\ndelegation. (emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/put-nation-before-personal-interest-soeharto-1447893297",
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