OCR Text |
Show Indonesian Statesman Tells of Firing Squad Experience and Dignity of Man Schoolboy Revolutionary,' now the Foreign Minister of Indonesia at 41, Moekarto Notowldigdo reveals his personal creed. This is one of a series of statements prepared for broadcast by thinking, useful people In all walks of life. By Moekarto Notowidigdo Foreign Minister. Republic of Indonesia As a representative of a nation na-tion which had for three hundred hun-dred years been under foreign domination, perhaps the most important thing in which I believe be-lieve is respect for the dignity of man. As you probably know many of the leaders of the newly independent in-dependent nations in Asia had to spend some time in jail . . . it was almost a necessary adjunct to their work for inde-dendence. inde-dendence. Such people as Pandit Nehru of India, President Soe-karno Soe-karno of Indonesia and many other found themselves imprisoned im-prisoned during the early 1920s and 1930s for their part In the fight for freedom. I was honored to find myself among these fighters for freedom myself. In Jail, I met representatives of many classes of the population. There were the political prisoners, pris-oners, the poor, the innocent, the guilty. And though we were of many classes, there were moments mo-ments when we found ourselves joined together as one brothers broth-ers . . . blood brothers. These moments came when one of the Indonesian fighters was sentenced to death. On the morning they were to go to the firing squad, a tremendous wave of sympathetic emotion flowed through all of us. As the victim-to-be was being led to the firing squad, our voices rose as one in the Indonesian national anthem and, even as the guns sounded, our voices rose over the staccato noise. No one led us . . . no one told us to sing. We felt the same emotion at -the same moment. mo-ment. And in the silence that followed the killing, we were able to meditate and frame our thoughts. Perhaps that is why class differences do not enter into Indonesian thinking, why our relationships with one another are based on a sense of mutdal dignity. We express this dignity in Indonesia through the five principles prin-ciples that guide our nation. We call these five points the Pant-Jisilla Pant-Jisilla and they are written onto the preamble of our constitution. First Belief in God. Second Humanitarianism or internationalism. Third Nationalism. Fourth Sovereignty of the people or democracy. Fifth Social justice. We are only a young nation, but we are trying to make these five points a reality. For like myself, a lot of Indonesians were (sic) imprisoned during its 300 years of colonial status and in becoming free and realizing realiz-ing the fruits of this freedom, we are developing within our own nation, a higher degree of respect for the dignity of man. These are the principles that guide us in our international relations re-lations in our work at the United Nations and in our pudg-ment pudg-ment of matters that affect world peace. Whatever helps develop de-velop the dignity of man is good. Whatever prevents the growth of man's dignity should be changed. But even in making changes, the effort itself must be consistent with the dignity of man. Thus nothing should be done that would in any way lessen the ability of each man to hold himself and his neighbors in anything short of the highest res peer Use the Iron County Record Classified Column |