Bandung students greet Megawati with rallies

Bandung students greet Megawati with rallies

BANDUNG (JP): Two groups of Bandung students greeted Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Friday with a demonstration,
criticizing the government for failing to uphold law enforcement.

The students, grouped in the Bandung Young Indonesian Front
(FIM-B) and Bandung Students' Movement Association (KPMB),
criticized the government for failing to enforce the law
properly. They demanded that Soeharto be brought to court soon.

Economic recovery had also failed, the students said.

Megawati visited here to attend graduation day at the State
Administration Institute.

In her address she stressed that government officials must be
responsive and intelligent in articulating the people's
increasing demands.

"People have become more critical and more demanding for
democratic government which respects human rights.

"Their main demand is clean governance, wider (regional)
autonomy, proper exploitation of natural resources and an
equitable financial balance between the central government and
provincial and regency administrations," she told the 624
graduates.

The state-owned institute, formerly located in Jakarta, is
dedicated to producing government officials. In the past its
graduates held district head level posts in the regions and had
great loyalty to the ruling group, Golkar.

"People are no longer the object of the government. A
leadership style which lets reduces the people being merely the
objects of the ruler will make no progress," she said.

Seven of the 624 graduates are East Timorese, who have decided
to become Indonesian citizens.

The president of the institute, Marwoto Soewito said that six
of the East Timorese would be posted to West, Central and East
Java respectively, while the other one will be appointed to
Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

Technology

A day earlier in Bandung, President Abdurrahman Wahid
instructed the Office of the State Minister of Research and
Technology to determine the course of the development of science
and technology in the country.

"The future development of science and technology in Indonesia
has no certain framework," the President said in an address at an
event commemorating National Technology Awakening Day.

"Will we just develop applied technology for our daily needs,
or will we develop technology in general, or a combination of
applied and general technology? A combination may be preferable,"
he said.

"Japan has made many achievements in developing applied
technology, yet it is the number one country in optic and
electronic technology," he cited.

Whatever Indonesia would prefer, the development of technology
must be based on moral values. "Morality means productivity, an
increase in the quality of human life, the maintenance of
democracy, the supremacy of law, freedom of speech and greater
tolerance.

"Let's look back at history. After World War II, Japan,
Germany, France and other countries developed their economies and
technology, based on moral values. The result was that they made
very significant achievements," he said.

The development of science and technology must be devoted to
the benefit of mankind and the nation. "The government will not
finance any research that is not related to this priority."

The President's entourage included First Lady Sinta Nuriyah
and nine Cabinet ministers, including State Minister of Research
and Technology A.S. Hikam and Minister of Home Affairs Surjadi
Soedirdja.

The nine ministers signed an agreement on the promotion of
technology in Indonesia.

The Indonesian National Technology Awakening Day dates back to
the first flight of the N-250 Gatotkoco in Bandung on Aug. 10,
five years ago.

The aircraft, produced by the state aircraft firm IPTN, used
fly-by-wire technology, which was, at the time, an advance in
aviation technology.

The peak of the commemoration of Technology Awakening Day was
when the President honored two people considered the most
meritorious in the development of technology with the
Kalyanakretya 2000 award.

The recipients were Juanda Suraatmadja, an expert in concrete
technology at the Bandung Institute of Technology and Husaini
Mahdin Anwar, a nutritionist at the Bogor Institute of
Agriculture. (25/sur)