Indonesians must be optimistic

With reference to Mr. Mada Suradi's letter in your paper dated April 29, 1999, I am very anxious and shocked that in this era there is a person who still has an opinion like him, someone who would like Indonesia to be under British rule rather than what it is now. His opinion not only disregards all the Indonesian heroes who sacrificed their lives for independence, but also disrespects all the heroes from developing countries who have struggled to stand on their own feet rather than become a slave to foreigners in their own country.

Although Indonesia nowadays is experiencing many troubles, as good citizens we should be optimistic in facing the future. We should be sure that there is a way to solve the current problem. There are many ways for responsible citizens to serve their country, regardless of how little the service is. But we should not even toy with the faintest idea to surrender our sovereignty to any other country, not even to the richest and most powerful country in the world, nor to any world bodies like the UN, the IMF, the World Bank, NATO, etc..

D. SETIAWAN

Jakarta