Promoting creative thought

We would like to thank University of Indonesia political scientist Juwono Sudarsono for his observation that many rich and advanced countries do not possess an abundance of raw materials, yet have become prominent because of their progressive thinking.

Over time, flowing from these progressive ideas, these countries have built bases of science and technology and sold them to rich but backward nations.

For example, despite its stagnant growth ratio, Japan enjoys a trade surplus while Indonesia (among other developing nations) is forever burdened with a balance of payments deficit.

For 350 years our ability to think was quashed by colonialism. Our nation's ability to create became blunted and cramped. What have been the consequences?

We became impoverished not only in an economic and scientific sense, but also in "spiritual" assets. We have become so impoverished that our courage to conceive, to go against accepted norms and rules that keep us in bondage, has disappeared.

One way to fight this situation is to cultivate the conviction that ideas cannot be killed. Let us, as we anticipate a new era, foster our people's ability to think. Otherwise, we will not move ahead.

-- Merdeka, Jakarta