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)