Youths question uneven development
JAKARTA (JP): Participants in the National Youth March, sharing their impressions on development in various regions with President Soeharto yesterday, questioned him about the uneven rate of progress across the provinces.
They referred to their own experience, after visiting various regions as part of the march program, which this year involved 1,149 youths selected from 27 provinces.
The first Youth March, initiated and chaired by businesswoman Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, was held in 1990.
In the discussion at the Jakarta Convention Center, a participant from West Nusa Tenggara said he felt his province had been left far behind by the other provinces.
"What I saw (during my stay of) 23 days was the wealth of rubber, coffee and chocolate in North Sumatra...and this is very great, compared to where I come from.
"We still have many villages funded by the Least-Developed Village aid program ...It is difficult for young people and community members to make progress...There are still isolated villages where planting is only done once a year because of the lack of rain.
"We are sure that West Nusa Tenggara can become well known like other regions...It is sad that many people in North Sumatra do not know about West Nusa Tenggara yet," the participant said.
In response to these statements, Soeharto said that the impression gained by the youth did not mean that certain regions had been neglected by the government in its development efforts.
"North Sumatra, because of its strong crop exports, has always been more advanced compared to many other areas," he said.
Ahmad Lubis, a student from Central Kalimantan, said after his stay in South Sumatra that he felt development there is relatively equally distributed.
"There are certain areas which are lagging behind but the government already has programs for those areas," Lubis said.
A participant from Irian Jaya expressed concern over the limited number of investors in eastern Indonesia.
"The government has encouraged investors to invest in eastern Indonesia, but many have refused...They feel my area is very difficult," he said.
"Investors are only interested in mining, while Irian Jaya has much more potential, including agriculture and forestry."
Soeharto replied that the government is now emphasizing the development of infrastructure, such as the construction of the road from Jayapura to Wamena in Irian Jaya, to attract more investors to more diverse sectors.
"Since the liberation of Irian Jaya in 1962, it has been difficult for people in the mountains, who are scattered far from each other, to progress, as long as they are not brought nearer to infrastructure," the President said.
Soeharto also spoke of Pancasila democracy, saying that if it was implemented consistently, there would be no need for voting to settle differences and disputes.
"If necessary, we must vote...but with the same ideal to implement deliberation for consensus," he said.
"But if we really understand and implement Pancasila democracy, voting is unnecessary...It involves the need to deliberate, to debate ...The argument which most favors our nation (should be) justified, so the elected (person in an organization/country) must sacrifice himself to agree with the larger majority," Soeharto said. (anr)