Baseless criticism puzzles people, Soeharto says
Baseless criticism puzzles people, Soeharto says
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto said political development
has nurtured Indonesians' political awareness and allowed them to
become more critical, but groundless criticisms only confuse the
people.
"In principle, a critical attitude is positive so long as it
is born out of a sense of responsibility toward the nation. But
the fact is we often find baseless criticisms which confuse
people," he said. "This will only hurt our development."
The President made the statement during a ceremony at the
State Palace commemorating Indonesian Workers Day and the 24th
anniversary of the Federation of All-Indonesian Workers Union.
Soeharto was accompanied by leaders of the workers union
yesterday, including Bomer Pasaribu.
Soeharto did not elaborate on what he meant by "groundless
criticism", but last week said some criticism was necessary for
development.
During the launch of a book titled Lahirnya Satu Bangsa dan
Negara (The Birth of a Nation and State) he conceded that
although Indonesia's development is on track, correction is
needed from time to time to make sure that it won't derail.
"With all the worrying shortcomings and limitations, we are
heading in the right direction," he said.
But he also warned that the correction should be done in a
manner that would not threaten the nation's unity and channeled
through the right institutions.
Soeharto warned that the tremendous progress Indonesia has
painstakingly made should not be put in danger. "We are
determined to maintain sustainability so that we can jerk up
growth and improve social justice. For that, we need constant
corrections," he said.
Soeharto also said that the increasing number of job seekers
and the limited number of job opportunities posed a formidable
challenge for the country.
The number of job seekers increased from 2.1 million in 1990
to 5.9 million in 1995, he said.
"Unless we overcome the problem immediately, it will not only
impede development but cause social unrest," he said.
He called for the improvement of human resources in the face
of global free trade where only countries which produce quality
goods and services will survive the competition.
"A nation which cannot produce quality goods will be left
behind. One thing that must be done is to restructure the labor
sector so we can face future challenges," the President said.
He also reaffirmed the government's stance to abolish levies
irrelevant to the production process to increase efficiency and,
eventually, to increase workers' salaries.
"Increased salary could then improve the welfare of workers
and their families," he said.
President Soeharto also presented awards to some government
officials and businessmen for their contribution to the
prosperous workers family development movement. They include East
Java Governor Basofi Sudirman and Tangerang Regent Syaifullah
Abdul Rachman. (swe)