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)