Corrections through proper institutions

Corrections through proper institutions

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto said yesterday that, while
corrections might be necessary in Indonesia's development
efforts, these must be made through the established mechanisms
and in the spirit of national unity.

In an address at the inauguration of a monument and museum
dedicated to the Defenders of the Motherland (PETA) regiment in
Bogor, West Java, Soeharto said that, despite various
shortcomings and deficiencies, the general direction of
Indonesia's national development is the right one.

"We realize that a set of corrections must be made from time
to time. The important thing is that we make them in the spirit
of national unity and through the mechanisms we have worked so
hard to establish," he said.

Soeharto said that, as the country develops, mastering science
and technology must go hand in hand with the maintenance of
national identity, especially in view of the influx of many
foreign values.

"We realize that development brings a multitude of new
problems. That's why, in our development, we want to strike a
balance," he said, adding that foreign values must be filtered to
correspond with Indonesia's own positive norms.

Soeharto said that one source of inspiration for Indonesian
youth is the country's historic independence struggle.

"The PETA cadres became one of the sources of the military
leadership which helped gain independence and later defended it,"
the president said as he inaugurated the monument, which is
located on the site of a former PETA training ground.

PETA was formed with the aid of the Japanese occupation forces
in October 1943 as a detachment to help defend Indonesian shores
from Allied invasion.

It soon evolved into a very patriotic regiment and, with its
military training, played an important role when Indonesia
defended its independence, proclaimed at the end of World War II,
against the Dutch forces which sought to reimpose colonial rule
on the archipelago.

"Because of that many of our nation's leaders come from a
military background," said Soeharto, a former Army general who
began his military career as a PETA member.

"Many former PETA cadres later helped to build and develop the
Indonesian National Army," said Soeharto.

"Hopefully the monument and museum will always remind our
nation of the greatness of our struggle and the goals of our
nation in the past," he added.(mds)