Jakarta youth seminar urges closer cooperation

A POLITICIAN Tuesday urged a religious youth NGO to forge closer ties with other national youth groups aimed at tackling social and political problems.

Hasto Kristianto, a Catholic party member of the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDIP), told about 80 attendees of a seminar in Jakarta that Catholic Youth, an NGO founded in 1945, should reach out to likeminded organizations.

“The young people’s role is very strategic. Therefore, a synergy between all national components, including Catholic Youth, is needed to help resolve national problems.”

The event marked the 66th anniversary of Catholic Youth’s founding.

Kristianto said that since the country proclaimed independence in 1945, the government has neglected to side with the people in administering its economic policies.

Foreign companies remained in control of the country’s natural resources, he added.

Report from ucanews.com