Officials asked to be more sensitive to local cultures

Officials asked to be more sensitive to local cultures

JAKARTA (JP): Government officials assigned to work in the
regions must be more sensitive to the feelings of the local
people, President Soeharto says.

In his speech inaugurating graduates of the STPDN, the public
administration school, Soeharto reminded government officials on
Saturday that the huge diversity of the nation means that in many
cases, they may not be able to apply general solutions to
specific problems encountered in the regions.

"The job of accommodating the aspiration and interest of
different people is not easy," Soeharto said during the
graduation ceremony held at the college's building in Jatinagor,
Sumedang, West Java. "But what is even more difficult is the job
of encouraging the people's initiative and creativity."

He said their jobs no doubt have political and economic
aspects. "But they often are also rooted in the socio-cultural
values of the people. And very often they are also linked to the
teachings of the religion they follow."

A total of 933 graduates were inducted during the ceremony.
The graduates will begin their careers in the government as staff
in the lowest level of administration, and therefore will be the
ones who will be dealing with the people directly.

Soeharto said the officials must not hesitate in formulating
specific policies to deal with problems in their respective
fields if and when the need arises.

The government plans to continue with its program to
decentralize the administration and give greater autonomy to the
regional administrators so that the aspirations and interests of
the local people are catered to, he said. (05)