Put nation before personal interest: Soeharto
Put nation before personal interest: Soeharto
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto asked the public on Tuesday to place the interests of the country before personal interests for the sake of future generations.
Speaking during the inauguration of a war memorial in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, Soeharto appealed to Indonesians to emulate the war heroes who sacrificed their lives for the nation.
"In the old days, our fighters put their motherland's interest before their own or their family's interests. We should all do the same now," he said.
Soeharto inaugurated the Mandala Irian Jaya Liberation Monument, built on the site of the former headquarters of the Mandala military command. The Mandala operation was launched in 1962 to wrest Irian Jaya, then called West Guinea, from Dutch control.
The operation, authorized on Dec 19, 1961, by President Sukarno, was led by Soeharto, then a young major general. After lengthy preparation, the operation was launched in June the following year. The Indonesians skirmished with Dutch troops in Irian Jaya and in the waters around the province.
One estimate put Indonesian casualties at 200.
The seriousness shown by the Indonesian military forced the Netherlands to agree to a cease-fire and transfer sovereignty of West Guinea to the United Nations, and later to Indonesia in 1963.
Soeharto recounted last June that he left Jakarta to lead the command on the day his youngest son was born.
The son was named Tommy Mandala Putra, now a prominent businessman. He also witnessed Tuesday's ceremony.
The President said Indonesia must still work hard at developing the country. "Development requires an absolute dedication and strong fighting ideals," he said.
He said the Mandala memorial should ignite the fighting spirit of the entire Indonesian nation. "We must keep this spirit inflamed and reinvigorated, because our development is in that phase that requires a strong fighting spirit."
Soeharto also launched four other projects in South Sulawesi -- the Pankajene Grand Mosque, the Wahidin Sudirohusodo General Hospital, and irrigation networks in Awo and Bila which are capable of supplying water to 2,500 hectares of rice fields. The five projects are worth Rp 237.5 billion (US $104 million), according to Antara.
During his day-trip to Ujung Pandang, Soeharto was accompanied by First Lady Mrs. Tien Soeharto, Minister of Defense and Security Gen. (ret.) Edi Sudradjat, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung and a number of other cabinet members.
South Sulawesi Governor Z.B. Palaguna played host to delegation. (emb)