President: no need for excessive worry about direction of reform efforts

Jakarta, Nov 7 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on all quarters in Indonesian society not to be overly worried about the direction in which reform efforts were going in relation with the great changes happening in the country.

"A nation that is undergoing changes usually becomes nervous, worried and disoriented about the direction of development and the reform efforts," he said in his address marking the opening of a national conference of the Retired and Elderly Military and Police Personnel Association (Pepabri) and Retired Servicemn`s and Policemen`s Wives` Association (Perip) at the Merdeka Palace here Wednesday.

He said there should be no excessive worry and nervousness about what the nation was doing.

"Feeling worried is OK, being alert is a must, concern about the direction in which things are going is also alright. But if we are overly worried and have no confidence in those carrying out their mandate in running the country, that is certainly not good," he said.

He said those in charge of national and state affairs very much loved and were very loyal to the nation."We also put our lives on the line for the nation on many occasions," he added.

The president said it was understood that every generation had faced a specific challenge, played an historical role that was unique so that the problems confronting the nation also differed from generation to generation.

For instance, he said, the 1908 generation which lived in an extremely pluralistic Indonesia developed a strong desire for national awakening.

The next generation fought to establish national independence and they were followed by a generation that was responsible for giving substance to national independence.

"Each of the eras and generations faced its own specific challenges. Now is the reform era in which there is certainly no need to doubt the existence of the desire to defend the state and nation`s sovereignty," Yudhoyono said.

In the reform era, Indonesia had had to undergo great changes since 1998 following the economic crisis, the national crisis which all happened in conjucntion with a change in the national leadership.

"We managed to pass through these deep crises because the direction and agenda of the reform movement were determined by the Indonesian nation, not by another country. If we all agree to manage our national and state affairs properly, then, God willing, what this great nation is doing will not be wrong," the President said.