Soeharto, 'Father of ASEAN'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Singapore Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar lauded
\nIndonesia's President Soeharto as "Father of ASEAN" for his
\nunwavering commitment to the organization for the past three
\ndecades.<\/p>\n
"More than any other leader in this region, President
\nSoeharto deserves the title of 'Bapak ASEAN' which has been
\nconferred upon him by thoughtful observers of the growth and
\nsuccess of ASEAN," Jayakumar said yesterday in his opening
\naddress at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.<\/p>\n
Soeharto, 75, is the longest-surviving leader among the ASEAN
\nheads of government and has seen the organization from its
\ninception 29 years ago.<\/p>\n
"His personal commitment to the creation and development of a
\nstrong regional organization, ever since the birth of ASEAN, is a
\nkey reason why we are here today to once again celebrate the
\ncontinuing success of our organization," Jayakumar remarked.<\/p>\n
The Singaporean foreign minister, accompanied by other ASEAN
\ncounterparts, met with Soeharto at the State Palace earlier
\nyesterday morning as part of the opening ceremony to the
\nassociation's 29th ministerial meeting.<\/p>\n
Apart from exalting Soeharto's role in ASEAN, Jayakumar also
\nused phrases in the Indonesian language which he considered best
\ndescribed the meanings.<\/p>\n
"ASEAN has developed a flexible modus operandi, best
\ncharacterized as a culture of seeking consensus encapsulated in
\nthe Indonesian words musyawarah and mufakat," Jayakumar said.<\/p>\n
Musyawarah mufakat is the Indonesian term for deliberation for
\nconsensus. (mds)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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