ITB's faculty senate sets up anti-crisis body<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): The faculty senate of the Bandung Institute of
\nTechnology set up a committee yesterday to explore concepts and
\nprepare recommendations for the government on ways to cope with
\nthe economic crisis.<\/p>\n
The 13-member committee, chaired by Sudjana Sapi'ie of the
\nmechanical engineering school, held a closed-door meeting with
\nexperts and students. Among those invited were distinguished
\nalumni, including former state minister of the environment
\nSarwono Kusumaatmadja, former president of the state-owned
\ntelecommunications company PT Telkom Cacuk Sudarijanto, former
\nbanker Laksamana Sukardi and economist Rizal Ramli.<\/p>\n
The committee will hold a dialog today with students of the
\ninstitute, who have been demonstrating for the past two months
\nfor an end to the economic crisis and for economic and political
\nreforms.<\/p>\n
Later, Laksamana told the media the nation could only survive
\nthe crisis by committing itself to reform.<\/p>\n
He compared Indonesia to a stalled computer whose operation
\nwas in "hang" mode.<\/p>\n
"The only thing we can do is reboot it," he said.<\/p>\n
He continued the metaphor by stating the computer could only
\nbe restarted by simultaneously pressing the "Ctrl", "Alt" and
\n"Del" buttons on the keyboard.<\/p>\n
"The Ctrl button means control, Alt means alternative and Del
\nmeans delete," he said.<\/p>\n
"So, the nation needs to have an appropriate control
\nmechanism, to seek alternatives for crisis settlement and delete
\nall obsolete elements in a bid to rerun the suspended development
\nprograms."<\/p>\n
Another call for reform was sounded yesterday by the executive
\nboard of the Muhammadiyah Students Association, who said in their
\nstatement: "Reforms are a must for a country in crisis."<\/p>\n
The statement, co-signed by chairman Abu Bakar J. Lamatapo and
\nsecretary Gunawan Hidayat, urged three institutions -- the ruling
\nGolkar, the Armed Forces (ABRI), and the House of
\nRepresentatives\/People's Consultative Assembly -- to be the prime
\nmovers in the reform process.<\/p>\n
The students of the schools established by Muhammadiyah, the
\nsecond largest Islamic organization in the nation with 28 million
\nmembers, also urged legislators to respond to the people's wish
\nfor reform.<\/p>\n
The House is in recess and will begin its next session on May
\n4. Several observers have recommended that legislators should cut
\nshort their leave to meet with protesting students.<\/p>\n
Review<\/p>\n
Separately, law professor Satjipto Rahardjo of Diponegoro
\nUniversity said in Semarang Tuesday the government should not
\nsimply ignore appeals for a review of the five political laws
\nenacted in 1985.<\/p>\n
"The five political laws are no longer relevant to the current
\nsituation," Satjipto, also a member of the National Commission on
\nHuman Rights, was quoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
The laws are on general elections, political parties and
\nGolkar, mass organizations, the composition of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) and the House of Representatives
\n(DPR), and on public referendums.<\/p>\n
Satjipto said a good law was one which could absorb
\naspirations of different members of society and accommodate
\ngradual reforms.<\/p>\n
"The 1985 laws fail to recognize the nation's plurality," he
\nsaid. He argued that the state ideology, Pancasila, accommodated
\nplurality in all of its five principles.<\/p>\n
He said the House should pay serious attention to the
\nclamoring for a review of the laws, which have been voiced by
\nstudents, political experts and legal practitioners.<\/p>\n
Calls for reforms were also voiced in a government-student
\ndialog, organized by the Indonesian Moslem Students Association
\n(HMI) on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n
"Reform, or whatever it's called, is a must," said a
\nparticipant from the Indonesian Nationalist Students Movement
\n(GMNI).<\/p>\n
"Reforms mean a total commitment to implement the principles
\nstipulated in Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution," he added.<\/p>\n
A participant from the Imam Bonjol State Institute for Islamic
\nTeachings (IAIN) in West Sumatra said there should be a review of
\narticles 4 and 5 of the Constitution on the President's authority
\nand Article 28 on freedom of speech, expression and assembly.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a representative of Bandung-based private Pasundan
\nUniversity said "moral" reform was needed among bureaucrats.<\/p>\n
"Moral reforms are fundamental prerequisites for all kinds of
\nreforms." (43\/imn)<\/p>",
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