Don't rest on past laurels: Try Sutrisno

Don't rest on past laurels: Try Sutrisno

JAKARTA (JP): People should be prepared to meet new challenges and not rest on past laurels, Vice President Try Sutrisno told the nation yesterday.

Opening a meeting of former student leaders of the mid-1960s at the Merdeka Selatan Palace, Try said: "Past experiences can serve as important lessons to develop our motivation and raise spirits in facing the challenges and trials in the future."

But he warned members of the Keluarga Besar Laskar Arief Rachman Hakim: "We should not be handcuffed by existing conditions and remain motionless. We should look at our neighbors who appear to be better prepared to meet the challenges."

Student leaders of the so-called Generation of 1966 often pride themselves for their pivotal role in establishing the New Order government of President Soeharto. Their street demonstrations in 1966 forced then President Sukarno to step down and make way for Soeharto, then an Army general, to rise to power.

Arief Rachman Hakim was a student leader killed during one of the demonstrations. He became a martyr and a rallying point for students, some of whom later formed an organization named after him.

This year will see the student leaders of the Generation of 1966 celebrating their 30th anniversary of the days they took to the streets.

Today, another group called Fosko 66 will hold a seminar to review the performance of the New Order government and assess whether 30 years later it has meet the aspirations of the student movement.

Government officials have repeatedly stressed that the days of student protests are over because of their disruptive nature.

This message was echoed by Vice President Try in his speech yesterday.

Indonesians need secure and orderly conditions in their lives, he said. Such conditions could only be obtained if all Indonesians uphold discipline in their daily lives. "Discipline comes from conscious, sincere, and serious obedience to abide by the law and rules."

Try defended the New Order government's record in carrying out economic development for more than two decades.

He pointed out that average per capita income has now reached $900 compared to $70 in 1969 when Indonesia launched the first of its five-year development programs.

He said also underlined the government's success in restoring economic order, bringing inflation down from 635 percent in 1966 to below 10 percent.

"Another example of our success is the longer life expectancy of Indonesians, now averaging 62.7 years compared to 45.7 years then," he said.

Meanwhile chairman of the organization Djusril Djusan said in his opening speech that Indonesia was still facing many challenges, and that some of them could undermine national unity.

The opening ceremony yesterday was attended by State Minister of Public Housing Akbar Tandjung, Minister of Cooperatives and Small Enterprises Subiakto Tjakrawerdaya, and other former student leaders of the Generation 1966, including Cosmas Batubara, David Napitupulu, Abdul Gafur, and Sofyan Wanandi.

President Soeharto is scheduled to meet participants of the meeting tomorrow, on the closing day. (imn)