Children told to take lead in state affairs

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 08/31/2007 1:58 PM

Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The children of some of Indonesia's independence heroes on Thursday told young people to take the lead in solving the problems facing the country.

Speaking at a discussion on founding president Sukarno and vice president Mohammad Hatta, and the role of youth in Indonesia's independence struggle, Meutia Farida Hatta Swasono said today's young people needed to revive their nationalist spirit.

""Our founding fathers instructed us to develop this nation's life. They did not only mean that the nation -- especially the youth -- should be educated, but also to improve their mind-set toward a better country,"" said the daughter of Hatta and the current minister for women's empowerment.

""We don't have to feel inferior to other nations. There are many things that we can be proud of, and Indonesian youth are at the same level of intelligence as others.""

She said the country's young people have demonstrated their skills and knowledge both nationally and internationally, including during a recent exhibition on research and technology.

""We should be masters in our own country and should not let our country be undermined by others. It is not that we don't accept their ideas, but we have to adopt their ideas in accordance with our values,"" she said.

The discussion was part of a series of events held Thursday in conjunction with Independence Day on Aug. 17.

Indonesia declared independence in 1945, in a declaration read by Sukarno and signed by Sukarno and Hatta on behalf of all Indonesians.

Ermil Thabrani, the son of freedom fighter Chalid Thabrani, said two values today's young people could learn from the founding fathers were leadership and perseverance.

""We can invigorate the spirit of our founding fathers through several ways that will have a strong influence on the youth, for example by producing short documentaries on the founding fathers for television.""

Young people played a leading role in moving Indonesia toward independence. Two of their most notable achievements were the establishment of the Boedi Oetomo youth organization on May 20, 1908, and the Youth Pledge on Oct. 28, 1928.

These movements are still commemorated as National Awakening Day and Youth Pledge Day.

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