Frans Seda stresses dignity
JAKARTA (JP): In a collection of articles to celebrate his 70th birthday, former cabinet minister Frans Seda notes the importance of human dignity in developing a skilled and productive labor force in Indonesia.
In a lavish dinner reception attended by a select list of 500 guests at the Hilton Hotel yesterday, Seda launched his book Kekuasaan dan Moral: Politik Ekonomi Masyarakat Indonesia Baru (Power and Moralityz The Politics of Economics in Indonesia's New Society).
Over 550 pages long, the book is the second compilation of Seda's writings.
The first was launched five years ago and titled Simponi Tanpa Henti: Ekonomi Politik Masyarakat Baru Indonesia (Uninterrupted Symphony: The Political Economy of Indonesia's New Society).
In the latest book, 116 of Seda's articles are compiled. They cover three main subjects: the political situation and condition of the 1990s, the state of national economics in the 1990s and challenges to Indonesia's education system.
In his articles on educational challenges, Seda points out that the potential of Indonesia's natural resources will only be tapped if the human mind is allowed to be creative in doing so.
The failure to develop human resources is the failure of the nation's education system, he argues.
"It is proven by the many unemployed from the ranks of the freshly graduated, while on the other hand we also see many vacancies," writes Seda.
To improve human resources, Seda urges that human beings not be evaluated solely in terms of productivity.
Sociologist Ignas Kleden, who spoke on the book at the dinner, said that manpower productivity has assumed so much importance that man risks reducing his dignity to the point where he becomes a mere economic consideration.
"Man is not just a production factor, and he therefore is eligible for special treatment, one which is different from the treatment of other production factors like capital and technology," Kleden said in his oration.
Success story
Franciscus Xaverius Seda was born in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, on Oct. 4, 1926. His rise to power is a success story often cited as a model for young people coming from Indonesia's eastern regions.
He held several political and cabinet positions during the administration of first president Sukarno and during the New Order government.
He served as head of the now defunct Indonesian Catholic Party in the early 1960s and has held four cabinet posts, including minister of finance, minister of agriculture, minister of transportation and minister of tourism.
Seda also served as Indonesia's ambassador to Belgium and the European Economic Community for three years starting in 1973. He later earned a position on the Supreme Advisory Board.
A devout Catholic and innovator in the education field, Seda founded and is the head of Atma Jaya University in Jakarta.
The weight of Seda's work was reflected by the distinguished guest list at the dinner which included former minister and head of national development planning board Widjojo Nitisastro, who also gave an address.
Others attending included ousted Indonesian Democratic Party leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, former governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin and former Armed Fores commander L.B. Moerdani.
Kleden also touched on Seda's political beliefs, which he said should not be rooted in a wariness of the past.
"As such, according to the book, politics based on political trauma is not good politics. An obsession with political trauma is equal to closing oneself off from a bitter reality and prevents someone from accepting new possibilities," Kleden said.
The discussion on economics in Seda's book looks at market mechanisms and their relation to morality.
Seda points out that while power and economics are intertwined, economic actors are prone to market forces which include responses to human factors and cultural values. (mds)