Let us renew our spirit of nationalism, union

The following is an unofficial translation of the speech of President Megawati Soekarnoputri, delivered at the commemoration of Youth Pledge Day on Oct. 28 at the Cibubur camping ground, East Jakarta.

Today, we commemorate the Youth Pledge, an important chain in the formation of this great nation. Through the Pledge by young students 73 years ago, we are committed to overcoming the ethnic differences in our society and to build a new union which will unite us all.

By commemorating the Youth Pledge, we are reminded each year that our nation was not formed by chance. It was formed out of our consciousness and sense of purpose to free us from the shackles of centuries of colonization. We form this union because we know that we cannot achieve that goal individually.

By commemorating the Youth Pledge, we are being evaluated on how far this union has been realized, what obstacles are to be found, and what actions we should take to overcome these obstacles.

We became free from colonization 56 years ago through a struggle that claimed so many lives. The Republic of Indonesia was established as a forum for this union. We need this forum to give us a sense of security and to support the efforts of all our people in achieving a better life.

In all honesty and with a sense of gratefulness, we have to admit that until four years ago, we had reached a standard of living that was far better than when we first obtained independence. It was also far better than our condition today. We achieved that level through struggle and hard work.

But we have made many mistakes which brought us to the brink of collapse, reaching the trough these last four years.

With deep concern, we have to acknowledge that today we are in a very complex and difficult situation. Today, we rarely encounter optimism in society. All comments are pessimistic, including about the state of our union.

We must not surrender to this situation. What we need to do now is to admit honestly that we have regressed before renewing our commitment, with all our strengths, to come out of this prolonged crisis. Let us take stock of the problems confronting us.

As a starting point, we have to frankly admit that the feeling of security -- something which everyone in this country naturally craves -- seems to have disappeared. Crimes and acts of violence occur almost daily in various places, some prompted by something that makes sense, and others that don't.

The reform movement that was expected to improve the situation appears to have been abused, through the violations of laws and regulations. Ours has become like a lawless society.

Public discipline and order have eroded. Law violations are accepted as common occurrences, sometimes even committed with pride and without any feeling of guilt. This is happening not only in society, but also in government.

This lack of security is not only felt by our own people, it has also influenced foreigners and foreign companies, whose presence in this country are still needed. We are still short of capital. We need the cooperation and support of the outside world. It is impossible for us to live by ourselves, no matter how strong our resolute for that is.

Now, not only have foreign companies stopped coming, many already operating in this country are preparing to leave.

Our economy has plunged. This erosion has not only brought misery to the people, but has also reduced the ability of the government in providing goods and services for them. We have been entrapped by large debts that part of the state revenues must now be spent solely on repaying.

I trust that we all agree that one of the prime causes of the economic crisis we are in is the rampant corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) which have been occurring for decades. The condition has deteriorated to the point that some of us have come to accept this as part of our culture.

We have to break the KKN cycle. In the simplest term, KKN is nothing but theft, and those who indulge in it are thieves, whatever rank or position they hold.

We have to stop this looting of state assets, wherever it happens and whoever commits it. The corruptors must be brought before a court of law to account for their crimes.

I'd like to make a special appeal to all of you, leaders and members of youth organizations, to break the chain of theft that is undermining our nation. Promise yourselves that you will not steal or violate the trust given to you by the people.

A major national problem that requires our thoughts to resolve is the erosion of the spirit of unity and cohesion. Today, there is a very strong impression that everyone and every group is only fighting for its own interests and aspirations, ignoring completely our common interests as a nation.

Everywhere there are conflicts between groups, villages, regions, even between ethnic and religious communities, whether young or old. Very often, the triggering factor has been a minor issue, which turned into violent clashes that resulted in the unnecessary deaths of many people, without meaning or purpose.

If this situation continues, and if we don't put a stop to it, it is almost certain that we as a nation will perish in the not too distant future. We will be fragmented into tiny nations and tiny states, all vulnerable to pressure from outside forces. We will become the Balkans of the eastern hemisphere. When this happens, it will not only be us who never enjoys peace, but other countries in the region will also become prone to the danger.

On this occasion, I would like to appeal to all of you to learn from history, ours as well as other nations' histories.

From our history, we learn that one by one the ancient kingdoms were conquered by invading foreign forces. We were colonized for hundreds of years, because we were easily pit against one another. Also from our history we learn that if we were united, and if this unity was used properly and justly, we could achieve so many things for the common benefit. We have been taught by history that our unity will be undermined if leaders cannot be trusted for their integrity and honesty.

From the history of other nations, we learn that the break up of a nation or a country claims many lives, those of ordinary people, children, women and the elderly. One generation disappears, and that nation degenerates into poverty and backwardness.

Since 1998, the year we launched the reform movement, we have tried to rectify the mistakes we made as a nation in the past as well as to plan for a better future. We have learned much from all this.

Some of these lessons are good that we need to maintain, like the growing freedom of expression, of gathering and for meetings, and the constitutional guarantee for other basic rights.

The government has become more democratic and quite responsive to people's aspirations and interests. The presidency, in the past an uncontrolled center of power, has been put on a par with other state institutions. Our legislature has won greater powers. Our political parties have become more accommodative to the aspirations and interests of their constituents. The regions possess the authority and resources necessary for them to run their own affairs. We have to maintain, strengthen and develop these in the coming years.

On the other hand, there are damaging excesses of reform, which must be stopped immediately.

We have to restore and guarantee the sense of security for everyone in this country, whether Indonesian citizens or foreigners. All unrest and acts of violence must be stopped. If there are situations that we don't like and want to correct, choose the method that does not open itself to violence. As the old saying goes, we may be emotional in our hearts, but our heads must remain cool.

With the guarantee of security, everyone can make a living, and companies -- big, medium or small -- can operate without disruption. Their smooth operations will improve our prosperity. Remember, economically we are still mired in a crisis, and now the world surrounding us is gripped with fear that is causing a global economic slowdown. Directly or indirectly, our economy has felt the brunt. Many people have reminded us that if we cannot overcome the violent clashes, we will become overwhelmed with a second round of crisis in the coming years.

We have to renew our spirit of nationalism, the spirit of union with the goal of building a better future for the Indonesian people, without discrimination against race, ethnicity, religion or societal group. We have to bring to realization the logo in our coat of arms, Bhineka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity): We may be different, but we are one. Don't let any race, ethnic group, religious community or societal group feel that they have been made second-class citizens.

We have to restore the respect and good name of our nation, bringing us up to par with other civilized nations. We have to put aside the shortsightedness and pettiness often shown by some of our people. Our leaders, no matter where they are, must absorb again the spirit and the statesmanship shown by our founding fathers, who were role models for their followers and supporters. If we want this reform movement to succeed, we have to start with our way of thinking, our moral and mental attitude, because that is where every thing starts.