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)

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