4 - Contribution of Ideas of the Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia to the Session of the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly (MPRS) (1966)

Summary

Introductory Note: In 1966, the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly (MPRS) convened a session, which dealt with among other things an improved way of handling the Indonesian economy. [Note: At the time the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) was not yet established. There was only the MPRS]. Some time before the session began, the Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia (FEUI), prepared a contribution of ideas, which hopefully would help make the MPRS session a success. Inspired by a Symposium organized by the University of Indonesia and the Indonesian Scholars Action Front (KASI), which discussed “Exploring a New Path”, the contribution of ideas from FEUI was titled: The New Path in Economic, Financial and Development Policies. The contribution papers were distributed to different members of the MPRS at that time. Some portions were contained in articles published by newspapers. The Contribution of Ideas of the Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia, was delivered to different members of the MPRS, which convened in 1966, and was prepared by Prof. Moh. Sadli, Prof. Ali Wardhana, Prof. Subroto, Prof. Emil Salim and myself, all of whom were professors in that department at that university.

The Provisional People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia

Considering:

1. (a) that the deterioration of the Indonesian economy has reached such an extent that the sufferings of the Indonesian people are ever increasing;

2. (b) that the Indonesian people are determined to overcome the deterioration of the economy for the sake of executing the Message of the People's Sufferings;

3. (c) that the people are anxiously observing whether their aspirations for an improved economy and greater prosperity as reflected in the People's Three Demands will truly be fulfilled;

4. (d) that efforts to curtail and control the economic decline will only succeed if based on the good intent to conduct honest introspection within the framework of returning to the implementation of the 1945 Constitution in a genuine and consistent manner, as an objective guarantee to prevent the tendency toward the arbitrariness of a personality cult and toward the hostility of liberalist anarchism;

5. (e) that the first step leading to the improvement of the people's economy is a review of all the foundations of the existing economic, financial and development policies, with the aim of reaching an appropriate balance between efforts to be undertaken and objective to be achieved, which is an Indonesian Socialist society based on the Pancasila state philosophy;