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)