Development strategy must broaden its aims: Experts

Development strategy must broaden its aims: Experts

JAKARTA (JP): Observers have welcomed the government's
decision to focus on bringing an end to the economic crisis, but
said that policies to improve the nation's mentality also needed
to be included in its development strategies.

Moslem scholar Nurcholish Madjid, Minister of Manpower Fahmi
Idris, political analyst Arbi Sanit and constitutional law
professor Ismail Suny agreed on Saturday that economic
development should be accompanied by reform of the nation's
mentality and character.

"The nation is now in the process of learning to live with
freedom after more than 30 years in political shackles,"
Nurcholish said in a seminar entitled How to Establish a New
Indonesian Society organized by book publisher Mizan and American
oil company ARCO.

Nurcholish, who is also rector of the private Paramadina Mulya
University, said the nation only "regained" its independence in
May when president Soeharto announced his resignation.

However, he warned the nation should remain vigilant while
evaluating its newly-obtained freedom and avoid mismanaging its
development program.

"We have had two great leaders, Sukarno and Soeharto, each of
whom made a great contribution toward establishing the pride of
this nation.

"And yet both failed to deliver prosperity and democracy
through their development programs," he said.

He said founding president Sukarno successfully oversaw
democratization and instilled political awareness in the people,
but failed to provide the nation with prosperity.

Soeharto, he said, had helped to make Indonesia one of the new
economic powers in Asia, but had forgotten about "civic
morality".

Nurcholish cited how examples of the gap between economic
development and mental character building could be found on the
streets.

"Chaotic traffic is a reflection of our citizen's poor
discipline," he said. "I have a friend, a very decent person, who
gloats when he runs through red lights."

Fahmi also gave a similar example during his opening address:
"I once reprimanded someone who pushed into a queue for tickets
and he had the cheek to glare at me."

Arbi and Ismail agreed on the need to improve the mental
characteristics of the nation in parallel with economic
development.

"Mental character building must go hand in hand with economic
development," Arbi said. "Otherwise, the nation's mentality and
morality will remain weak." (imn)