Soeharto warns of weakening family bond
Soeharto warns of weakening family bond
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto warned yesterday that the
trend towards having small families has a downside: It weakens
the family bond, clearing the way for a host of other problems.
The move towards having small families is a welcome
development for Indonesia because it is making them more mobile,
something which is vital as the nation undergoes a transformation
from an agrarian to industrial society, Soeharto said yesterday.
"But on the other hand, it can also weaken family ties, which
can also mean declining appreciation for traditional family
values," Soeharto said during a ceremony to mark the first
National Family Day.
"Bear in mind that the familial spirit is one of the chief
characters of our society," he said at the ceremony held at
Semambung, a village in the Sidoarjo regency in East Java.
Soeharto launched the second 25-year family planning
development program yesterday, which will focus more on the
building of "prosperous families" as opposed to small ones.
Decreasing the size of the Indonesian family has been the stress
of the program during the first 25-year period.
The first phase, which brought a significant reduction in the
birth rate, concentrated more on the use of contraceptives, with
campaigns for young people to postpone marriage and to limit the
number of children to two.
The President stressed the importance of building a prosperous
family in the national building process.
"Family is the smallest unit in society. Family is the chief
source of living for a person. Before entering society, children
develop in a family environment.
"Therefore, the quality of our families determine the quality
of our people and society in the future. We fully realize the
importance of the family in developing our society."
Soeharto said the family is an important bastion to filter the
onslaught of alien values that are now penetrating into Indonesia
as part of the rapid globalization process.
"Not all values that come from outside are consistent with our
national culture. Some are even destructive."
He pointed out that the rising rates of juvenile delinquency,
alcohol and drug abuse and other social problems are indications
that some families in Indonesia are not resilient enough.
The President also appealed for special attention to the needs
of the poor families in the country.
"I plead to those in the government, the private business
sector, social organizations and public figures, to enhance their
attention and role in building prosperous families," he said.
Personal value
The choice of June 29 as national family day has a significant
personal value for the 73-year old president.
The date was chosen to mark the reunion of freedom fighters in
1949 with their families after the siege of Yogyakarta by the
Dutch, then the temporary capital of the young republic.
Soeharto then was a young lieutenant colonel and he was
reunited with his wife Mrs. Tien Soeharto and a toddler -- his
first daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.
On the occasion yesterday, the President presented the Wira
Karya awards to people for their services to the national family
planning cause.
They include Siti Hardiyanti, timber tycoon Mohamad (Bob)
Hasan, East Java Governor Basofi Soedirman, Sidoarjo Regent Col.
Edhi Sanjoto, and Lumajang Regent Tarmin Hariadi.
First Lady Tien Soeharto, State Minister of Population Haryono
Suyono, and Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas
were also present at the ceremony. (17/emb)