Capable new generation

"We, of the Generation of '45, who have taken part in giving birth to and defending the proclaimed Republic, who have witnessed our comrades-in-arms fall on the battle field for the sake of independence, are at present experiencing a profound inner peace. We are confident that the future of this nation is in the hands of a capable and responsible new generation of torch bearers."

That brief quote is enough to demonstrate the depth of the attention which the President is paying to the question of regeneration. In that quote, two very fundamental facts are contained. First, that the generation of freedom fighters, also known as the Generation of '45, is at peace. This means that this generation feels that it has accomplished all the tasks it had to shoulder. For this generation there is, no longer, any assignment that has not been accomplished and that might become a burden for the oncoming generation. Second, there is the confidence that the younger generation is capable of taking over the torch of development.

The President's pronouncement puts an end to the older manner of looking at the younger generation, which has been popular in certain groups. In this older manner of perceiving, Indonesians of the younger generation are depicted as weak and devoid of feelings of patriotism and nationalism, even self-centered and inclined to put their own personal interests above that of the nation. In this perception it is made to look as if only the generation of freedom fighters is capable of properly managing this nation.

Actually, this kind of perception places the older generation of freedom fighters in a bad light. If it were true that, the new generation is a generation of weaklings, this nation's future would indeed be clouded. The fault, however, would not lie with that new generation of torch bearers but with the older generation of freedom fighters, which failed to pave the way for a proper regeneration. The fact is that, good or bad, the shape of the new generation of torch bearers is determined by the conditions created by the previous generation.

On Aug. 16, in the House of Representatives, Pak Harto (President Soeharto) gave the signal for the new generation to take over the job of developing the nation. We will be able to judge the success of the previous generation by the degree to which this new generation will be able to accomplish that task.

-- Republika, Jakarta