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)