Try tells youths to cooperate, set aside differences
JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Try Sutrisno told some 120 youth leaders from 12 Asian and Pacific countries yesterday never to let differences hamper cooperation.
Opening the Forum for Asia-Pacific Youth Leaders meeting in Bandung, West Java, Try said "differences are beautiful" and should be a source of strength to build "cohesion and friendship".
"Differences should not become a divider that can lead to gaps of status among the youths in the regions," he said. "Differences should be used to develop respect for each other ..."
Try said that efforts to instill strong sense of responsibility among youths should start with the development of mutual respect and understanding. "The efforts should then be continued by building cooperation and sensitivity toward the conditions in and development of the community," Try said.
"Mutual trust among youths should be further developed, given the heterogeneity of nations in the region, in terms of skin- color, levels of social welfare and historical background," he said.
The Vice President was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying that the Asia-Pacific region was once a source of dispute among colonial powers because of its wealth of natural resources.
The next century, he said, will see the region develop into a center of the world economy. "This is why the young people of this region should from now on prepare themselves for the future by building their sense of responsibility," he said.
The three-day gathering is organized by the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) in cooperation with the Asia- Australia Institute.
KNPI chairman Tubagus Hayono said the forum is seeking to formulate common concepts on youth leadership, taking into account the diversity among groups. The event is aimed at helping the youths prepare to greet the 21st century, which has been dubbed to be the "Century of the Asia-Pacific".
Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Hayono Isman and West Java Governor R. Nuriana also addressed the gathering. Several cabinet ministers, including Minister for Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave, attended the opening ceremony.
Crises
Meanwhile in Jakarta, a number of local youth leaders said that Indonesian young people are currently undergoing "a crisis of achievement" and that they lack the ability to apply the spirit of the past youth leaders, as expressed in the 1928 Youth Pledge, to today's realities.
The criticism was voiced in a discussion to mark the 66th anniversary of the Youth Pledge. Those who spoke at the gathering included chairman of the GP Ansor Moslem youth organization, M. Iqbal Assegaff, KNPI leader Kristiya Kartika, and chairman of the Indonesian Buddhist Center, Rusjdi Rukmarata.
"The lack of creativity and a pro-active attitude has aggravated the condition of our young people, who are already...less than dynamic," Iqbal said.
"Past youth leaders, under the oppression of the colonial power, were able to produce the monumental Youth Pledge. Now, what can our young people do to contribute to the life of this nation?" he asked.
"Too many young people are busy talking, but fail to do much," he said. "The problem of social gaps is now on the agenda of the nation and needs to be urgently addressed. Will talking be enough?" he asked further.
He criticized contemporary young people as lacking independence. "If their parents provide opportunities for them, they progress. If not, they just follow passively," he said. "The youths are suffering from a fear to act..They are afraid to do things..." he added. (swe)