Discontent can be destructive, Soeharto warns

Discontent can be destructive, Soeharto warns

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto warns that some members of
society who are discontent with the rate of development may
become nihilistic in venting their frustration.

"There are those who are impatient and would resort to actions
that disrupt national stability. They might even be willing to
destroy all that we have built. We have to stay alert," Soeharto
said on Saturday in Jambi where he inaugurated a new highway.

He made his comments during a meeting with local folks in
Jambi -- now a regular feature of every trip he makes to the
region.

His statement comes less than one month after the riots in
Medan, one of the most destructive to occur in Indonesia in
recent years.

The incidents which took place in Medan are feared to have
scared away potential investors.

The Medan riots also temporarily put many industries in North
Sumatra out of action.

Soeharto again turned his criticisms against people whose
arguments are based Western notions of democracy and human rights
and warned the rest of society not to be swayed by these ideas.

It is unrealistic to use Western standards, he said.

"We are people of the East, so we must use Eastern standards.
We cannot don Western clothes because they are bound to be too
big. It would make us look like scarecrows," he said during the
face-to-face meeting with Jambi farmers and villagers.

Soeharto said critics of the government's development programs
often overlooked the fact that, despite some shortcomings,
Indonesia had made tremendous progress and has become the envy of
many other nations.

He underlined that political stability is essential for
development to take place. "Without development, there will be no
growth. Without growth, how can we promote the welfare of the
people?"

Soeharto earlier inaugurated a new, Rp 51.3 billion ($24.4
million), 212 kilometer road in Jambi. This is part of the Trans-
Eastern Sumatra Highway which, when completed, will stretch along
the 2,376 km length of the island from north to south. The Trans-
Eastern will cover six of the eight provinces in Sumatra from
Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra and Lampung. Very
soon, a 650 km segment of the highway in Riau will also be
completed.

"These roads are not only important for the economy of the
provinces which they link, but also for the promotion of
cooperation with our Southeast Asian neighbors," Soeharto said in
his speech at the inauguration.

"The Trans-Eastern Sumatra Highway will be part of the Trans-
ASEAN Highway through which people and goods will be exchanged
between Indonesia and ASEAN countries."

ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations which
groups Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore
and Thailand. (emb)