Youth and politics

Youth and politics

There is enough reason to believe that more than any previous election, the general elections of 1997 will be a historical landmark, which will determine the future of this nation. This is true in the sense that the 1997 general elections will determine whether the leadership of this nation will remain in the hands of the New Order. Consequently it will also determine whether our national development efforts, as a realization of Pancasila, will proceed.

For this reason, the younger generation, which, according to the historical experience of any nation makes up the vanguard in the march towards progress, truly realizing that this nation's future is in their hands. This means that it is particularly by them that this nation's unity and cohesion will be determined. The question of whether we will be able to take the best possible advantage of the rapid developments that are taking place on the global as well as regional stage will also be very much determined by them.

Therefore, it is to be hoped that the diverse leanings among our younger generation will not turn them into vanguards of national disunity, or cause them to be used as tools for accommodating the dissatisfactions of those who refuse to see the achievements which Indonesia has scored.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta