Most Indonesians prefer mediocrity to competition

Most Indonesians prefer mediocrity to competition

JAKARTA (JP): Respected scholar Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo says
most Indonesians prefer mediocrity to competition.

The retired Army general and former governor of the National
Resilience Institute, a military think tank, said yesterday that
the Indonesian inclination not to compete for excellence will
make it difficult for the nation to survive global competition in
the future.

He told a national seminar on education that the condition
could also erode the nation's independence because "the
weaknesses of the people are also the weaknesses of the nation".

"The Indonesian people have great potential; they are clever
and able to adjust to many situations. But those factors are not
enough to compensate for the basic weaknesses," Sayidiman told
some 200 participants at the two-day seminar which ended
yesterday.

He blamed Indonesia's long history of living under colonial
powers for the people's reluctance to compete.

"During the colonial period, there were only a few schools to
shape the people's intellectual and technical abilities to
develop the country once independence was achieved," Sayidiman
said.

He expressed optimism that education will help turn around the
situation. "Education will develop new character and habits to
counter the weaknesses."

He identified another weakness which he said needs to be dealt
with seriously. "Many Indonesians are very good at making
concepts or theories, but fall short when it comes to
implementation.

"In addition, Indonesians tend to depend on other people to
solve their problems rather than solve them on their own," he
said.

The seminar, organized by the Ministry of Education and
Culture and attended by education experts and government
officials, was convened to gather materials for the drafting of
the government's Broad Guidelines of State Policy for the 1998-
2003 period.

The other speakers addressing the forum at the Kartika Chandra
Hotel included Aris Ananta of the University of Indonesia,
Quraish Shihab, rector of the State Institute for Islamic
Studies, Soeharsono Sagir of the Bandung-based Padjadjaran
University and Tanri Abeng, a well-known businessman.

Noted Moslem scholar Dawam Rahardjo said the education system
does not foster competitiveness in students.

Dawam's opinion was supported by Heru Sutojo from the
University of Indonesia's School of Economics, who added that the
education system does not produce the skilled professionals
needed by the business sector.

He said that today's curricula is outdated and stagnant
because of its emphasis on extracurricular activities and 'local
content' in the form of local languages.

"Students are already exhausted, but their education is far
from satisfying," Heru said, citing low final examination scores
in science and math as an example of the system's failings.

With such poor abilities, many graduates will lose out on
opportunities to work in such fields as electronics and engine
manufacturing. (31)