Soeharto wants free but responsible youths

Soeharto wants free but responsible youths

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto yesterday called on
Indonesian youths to develop their creativity and initiative in
the face of global challenges without neglecting their
responsibilities and identity as Indonesians.

Addressing thousands of youths during the gala ceremony which
marked the close of the National Youth March, or Kirab Remaja
Nasional, at the Senayan Sports Stadium here yesterday, Soeharto
stressed the need for Indonesia's youth to master technology and
be a creative force in the development of the nation.

"Initiative and creativity will develop in a free and
responsible environment," he said yesterday evening.

"Freedom without responsibility will only invite chaos. On the
contrary, responsibility without freedom will only bring fear.
That is why we will all continue to develop a national
environment which is free and responsible," he said.

The ceremony formally ended a month-long event: the fourth
Youth March. The event was first held in 1990.

The march takes youths through various parts of the country
with the aim of strengthening national solidarity and allowing
them to better understand their nation.

This year 1,149 model youths, selected from all 27-provinces,
participated in the event, along with about 400 youths from 22
other countries.

Clad in a predominantly red-and-white training suit, Soeharto
yesterday underlined the importance of the nation's youths not
being overwhelmed by influences brought about by the process of
globalization.

"Our identity is Pancasila. Because of that I ask you, the
youth of Indonesia, to truly understand and practice our national
ideology," he said.

According to Soeharto, foreign influences cannot and should
not be rejected. What is important, the president said, is to
filter and accept the positive influences while protecting
oneself against the negatives ones.

"That is why we have to maintain our identity as a nation. If
we fail then, as a nation, we will be washed away and cut adrift
by developments," he said.

"We do not want to be swept off our feet by the tide of global
change," he added.

Yesterday evening's colorful ceremony kicked off with a sky-
diving display with 27-parachutists landing, one-by-one, in the
stadium, each bearing the flag of one of Indonesia's provinces.

They were then followed by other parachutists carrying a flag
of the 22 foreign participants in the National Youth March --
Australia, Belgium, Britain, Brunei, Egypt, Germany, Hungary,
Jordan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan,
Palestine, the Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Korea,
the United States, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

Also there was the Portuguese flag, a nation which Indonesia
does not have diplomatic relations with and is often the source
of malediction in relation to the East Timor issue.

The participation of the foreign youths got special attention
from President Soeharto, who welcomed and congratulated them at
the beginning of his speech.

Representatives of the foreign youths contributed to the
ceremony yesterday by reporting on their participation to
President Soeharto in the Indonesian language.

On the suggestion of Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, the eldest
daughter of President Soeharto, the National Youth March first
took place in 1990. It was not until 1993, however, that foreign
participants were invited.

During the march, the youths are divided into groups and are
sent to different provinces, where they proceed from village to
village conducting social work.

The ceremonies closed off yesterday with an array of cultural
performances and a marching band. There was also a demonstration
of traditional Pencak Silat self-defense techniques. (mds)

Photo on Page 2