Say it with letters in 1995, Soeharto tells public
Say it with letters in 1995, Soeharto tells public
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto ushered in 1995 by urging people to take up the habit of writing letters.
"Through letters, other nations will be able to get to know better the beauty of our `Mother Land' and the hospitality of our people. Through letters, we preserve friendship and brotherhood between us all, although we are scattered across this expansive archipelago," Soeharto said at the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31 to greet the new year.
"I plead to the people to write to one another. Let's maintain the bond of our ties through letters."
The appeal was made in the midst of Soeharto's plans to invigorate the services of the country's post office in 1995. The year is also a continuation of the Year of Tourism, with related activities expected to go on through to the end of this decade.
To set an example in the writing of letters, Soeharto wrote letters to two role model teachers, Idris Amran of a junior high school in Meulaboh, Aceh, and Pelpina Yetti Korwa of a junior high school in Nabire, Irian Jaya, on Jan. 1.
First Lady Mrs. Tien Soeharto sent letters to two role model students: Deflin K. Intan Mendrova of a senior high school in Gunung Sitoli in North Sumatra and Yakos Likliy Watil of a senior high school in Serui, Irian Jaya.
The National Post Office had announced earlier that it handles 500 million letters a year, which means that on an average, each Indonesian writes only 2.5 letters a year. The campaign to write letters, a joint endeavor also involving the Ministry of Education and Culture, hopes to bring this to 50 letters a year per person.
On tourism, Soeharto said Indonesia has been making major inroads and the industry has now become the fourth largest earner of foreign currency.
"Through hard work, we hope that tourism will become the top ranking earner during Repelita VII," he said referring to the government's seventh five-year plan, which will begin in 1999.
"Tourism must become truly our hope for the future. That means that all of us, without any exception, must really strive to make Indonesia attractive to foreign tourists.
"To all the people, I beseech that everyone continues to keep their areas clean, to preserve the environment and to preserve the national culture. That's the kind of image that we want to project to the world."
Soeharto also appealed to the people to support the various big celebrations being planned for 1995 in connection with the 50th anniversary of Indonesia's independence. (emb)