A nation of winners

A nation of winners

Indonesians at this point of time are experiencing
difficulties, economically and also politically. We are confused
about the value of the rupiah which continues to nosedive and we
do not know exactly what the reasons are.

The Indonesian economy is said to be sound and strong, and I
believe this, but the situation is growing worse, and I feel the
people are becoming more confused.

But we must not lose and ignore one very precious thing -- the
Indonesian fighting spirit, the spirit of 1945. There are still
plenty of members of the 1945 generation, who maintain their
spirit of "Never say die".

We have experienced worse times than this and we came through
with flying colors.

I remember that my battalion in 1946 ate only two sweet
potatoes and we never lost our fighting spirit against the well-
equipped and experienced Dutch army.

We encountered economic problems during the Old Order regime
but we survived.

So why should we be downhearted and lose our spirit now? That
is not Indonesian. We are a nation of winners and I am sure that
we are going to win again this time. No doubt about that.

But there are still some facts we must observe.

1. High-level Indonesian officials should stop giving
statements which might cause confusion and add to the already
existing confusion. Let the right and responsible authorities
make the statements after due coordination with other
institutions. This is not the time to seek personal popularity.

Public figures should avoid using extreme words which might
create unnecessary fear. One example is an article which appeared
in The Jakarta Post on Dec. 26, 1997, in which the word
"horrible" was used to describe the past year in Indonesia. Why
not use a different expression?

2. We should restrain ourselves from overspending during the
economic crisis, such as avoid organizing lavish wedding parties
and other functions. We should heed to the President's
instruction at the plenary cabinet meeting. Use the state budget
as efficiently as possible and wives are advised not to accompany
their husbands unless of course they pay from their own pockets,
only because they don't trust their husbands when out of sight.

Let me cite some sayings which are relevant to the spirit of
Indonesians, a nation of winners.

* The winner always has an answer. The loser always has a
problem.

* The winner always makes programs. The loser always makes
excuses.

* The winner sees an answer to every problem. The loser sees a
problem in every answer.

* The winner says it is difficult but it might be possible. The
loser says it might be possible but it is too difficult.

Let me end this letter with the definition of a leader and the
difference between a leader and a boss.

The boss always thinks that he knows how things should be
done, while the leader shows how.

The boss leans on his authority but the leader counts on
goodwill.

The boss tends to shout "Go", the leader tells his men "Let us
go".

Happy New Year and keep up your fighting spirit. Let all of us
work together in a coordinated effort under the guidance of the
government.

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta