Soeharto vows to continue efforts towards openness

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto said yesterday efforts are continuously being made to turn Indonesia into a more open society, one which upholds democracy and human rights.

Addressing the opening of the 10th congress of Generation '45 organization here, Soeharto said Indonesia is relentless in its efforts to disseminate, monitor and examine its implementation of human rights. This measure, he said, is actually the implementation of state ideology Pancasila.

Generation '45 refers to those who grew up around 1945 when the country reached its independence. Soeharto referred to this group of people as the Generation of Liberators because of their role in the independence struggle.

"We always continue efforts to solidify democracy, especially a democracy based on the morality of Pancasila," Soeharto said, adding that democratization takes patience.

History has shown, he said, that social changes which are anticipated yield greater benefits for the nation than those brought about by civil unrest, however small the unrest may be.

"We can never accept pressure from any party which uses an undemocratic approach," he said. "Democracy needs patience."

There are many options to solve existing problems, he said. No solution is entirely right or wrong.

"What we need is to agree upon a formula which we could implement together. Therefore, we should also be ready to listen to the opinions of other people and make others believe in these opinions," he said.

Soeharto further pointed out that Indonesia will soon enter the 21st century which will be much different from the 20th century. "How it will be, it is not yet clear," he said.

He said his generation, the Generation '45, has done their duties well, while the succeeding generation has also begun to assume an important role in history.

"Certainly, not all problems have been solved. Once in a while, unrest occurs. Some was caused by unemployment. Other unrest was caused by the masses' agitation (over something). Yet other unrest was caused by elements trying to impose their will on other people," he said.

Over the past year, Indonesia has seen a number of riots occurring in various parts of the country, including the July 27 riot and the Oct. 10 attack on East Java churches.

The President yesterday was accompanied by Vice President Try Sutrisno and Generation '45 executive chairman Surono.

Congress participants include Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman, Minister for Security and Defense Edi Sudradjat, Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung and Minister for Tourism, Post, and Telecommunications Joop Ave.

Diplomacy

In his speech, the head of state also touched on the country's use of armed struggle and diplomacy to attain independence.

"The Generation '45 has been criticized for not fully appreciating the role of diplomacy and for making armed struggle their priority," he said.

"Unfortunately, we could not prevent such an impression as our armed struggle for independence played a big role in the past," he added.

The President noted although the armed struggle was necessary, the role of diplomats could not be ignored. They are the ones who succeeded in gathering international support for Indonesia during its early years.

"For the sake of historical truth, it is time for us to straighten this (the impression) out. We should honestly admit that both armed struggle and diplomacy have contributed to our fight for freedom," he said. (swe)