Indonesian university students reborn as a political force<\/p>\n
By Ignatius Haryanto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In the past few weeks student protests on
\nuniversity campus sites have been widely reported in the media.
\nThe protests were held to demand political and economic reform to
\nend the monetary crisis. Some went as far as to demand a new
\npresident.<\/p>\n
Protests began at the end of last year, when Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity students published mock election results held on the
\ncampus. Ninety percent of the ballot papers returned refused to
\nreelect Soeharto for the 1998\/2003 period. Protests and
\ndemonstrations were also held at universities in Bandung,
\nJakarta, Purwokerto, Kudus and Surabaya.<\/p>\n
Students voiced concern over the grave economic and political
\nsituation, which they believe has left the people of Indonesia
\nwithout hope. Price increases, missing goods, a weak and volatile
\nrupiah, corruption, collusion and special privileges for select
\ncronies of the government all came under vociferous attack.<\/p>\n
In fact, a number of the issues raised in this wave of protest
\nare recurrent grievances which have been the cause of past
\ndemonstrations. Past generations of students protested against
\ncorruption in 1971, excessive Japanese investment in 1974 and
\nSoeharto's leadership in 1978.<\/p>\n
The fact that these issues resurfaced might indicate that
\nstudent movements have become stronger after a lengthy period of
\nhibernation enforced by a drive to depoliticize higher education
\nafter 1978.<\/p>\n
It is interesting to note that student protests were last seen
\nexactly 20 years ago in 1978. That wave of protests ended when
\nthe military sent armored vehicles onto the sites of the
\nUniversity of Indonesia and the Bandung Institute of Technology.<\/p>\n
In the aftermath of this incident, students were educated in
\nan apolitical atmosphere under the semester credit system (SKS).
\nThis new system pushed them to finish their studies in the
\nshortest possible time, effectively paralyzing student concern
\nfor events in society at large.<\/p>\n
Those who wanted to remain politically active had to take
\ntheir soap-boxes of the campus. They established study groups and
\nsocial worker groups which later evolved into non-government
\norganizations (NGOs) in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n
The activists then consolidated their strength and formed
\nsmall committees without university affiliations, which they used
\nto present their advocacy on a number of community issues, such
\nas power tariff increases in 1988 and problems with land
\ncompensation in West and Central Java.<\/p>\n
A well known case involving these committees centered around
\nthe World Bank funded Kedung Ombo dam project in Central Java.
\nDisplaced villagers received meager compensation for the land
\nthey had lost, however the dam project went ahead, despite
\nintense international pressure.<\/p>\n
By the end of the 1980s student movements were becoming
\nincreasingly radical. Then, in December 1993, 21 students were
\narrested following a protest outside the House of
\nRepresentatives' building.<\/p>\n
Thereafter, launching protests away from campus sites became a
\ncommon tactic. When on-campus protests were revived at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia last month, it indicated a reverse in
\nthis trend, possibly due to the tight security measures currently
\nin place.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, students and alumni cooperated in the protests.
\nLecturers at the Bandung Institute of Technology, for example,
\nhad previously aired objections to Soeharto's reelection. This
\nnew development needs further observation.<\/p>\n
It is clear that students, which for years were scorned as
\ntoothless, have again shown their fangs. Attempts by the
\ngovernment to depoliticize Indonesian campus sites do not appear
\nto have been effective. A number of factors may have contributed
\nto this state of affairs.<\/p>\n
Student thinking has evolved through political socialization
\nwhich they received from their seniors.<\/p>\n
In addition to this, the taught curriculum no longer offered a
\ncritical perspective on the current situation and in doing so
\nfailed to satisfy a thirst for knowledge. Some lecturers may have
\nanswered this demand for a wider perspective by going beyond the
\nbounds of the curriculum. Driven by a political dynamic, the
\nstudents eventually moved out to face reality.<\/p>\n
Socialization among students themselves has also led to
\nawareness of the realities in their communities. Sharing
\nexperience with their classmates proved to be a political
\neducation far more readily digestible than formal lectures.<\/p>\n
Megawati's ousting from the leadership of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI), the jailing of members of the outlawed
\nIndonesian Democratic Party (PRD), the heavily engineered general
\nelection and the denial of public information and expression are
\nthe real lessons which this generation of students have digested.<\/p>\n
These experiences have helped them to make a very clear
\ndistinction between black and white, good and bad, noble and
\nrotten. With this ability, information presented in the media
\nbecame a reality upon which judgments could be made in accordance
\nwith their own political experience. Choices on a course of
\naction can then be made. One choice pertains to taking action.<\/p>\n
The students' are concerned about the political environment.
\nThe behavior of the authorities has continuously declined and is
\nnow intolerable.<\/p>\n
Students embody the collective aspirations of society. They
\nare the fortunate individuals who have gone on to further
\neducation and who have an important role in the future of the
\ncountry. It is therefore fitting that they show concern in a time
\nof crisis.<\/p>\n
Systematic steps taken by the establishment to silence the
\nstudent voice seem to have failed. That they have, and that the
\nstudent community continues to harass the government, only shows
\nthe gravity of the situation which we currently face.<\/p>\n
The writer is chairman of the Institute for the Study of the
\nPress and Development.<\/p>\n
Window: Systematic steps taken by the establishment to silence the
\nstudent voice seem to have failed. That they have, and that the
\nstudent community continues to harass the government, only shows
\nthe gravity of the situation which we currently face.<\/p>",
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