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)