Students deserve to be listened to<\/p>\n
Numerous comments, including those from top officials, greeted
\nthe proposed dialog between university students and the Armed
\nForces. Political scientist J. Soedjati Djiwandono hopes the
\nArmed Forces will eventually be willing to listen to what the
\nstudents have to say.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The readiness of the military leadership to
\nengage in dialog with the students is in itself a positive
\nattitude worthy of appreciation. For their part, the students
\nshould respond accordingly, instead of flatly rejecting the
\noffer.<\/p>\n
The dialog should be held without preconditions, although the
\nstudents' demands for a guarantee of their security and that the
\ndialog be held within the confines of the campus, with the
\nmilitary present in civilian clothes, sound reasonable.<\/p>\n
After all, there is no reason for the military to fear the
\nstudents, but the same perhaps cannot be said for the latter.<\/p>\n
But I do not see any reason for the participation of other
\nnonmilitary personnel, such as cabinet ministers. They do not
\nrepresent any institution the way the military leaders do, and as
\nsuch are not in a position to affect in a meaningful way the
\nworking of the political system, the core of the students'
\ndemand.<\/p>\n
I consider the attitude of some cabinet ministers toward the
\nstudents to be arrogant and abominable. The reactionary remark
\nmade by the education minister, himself a former rector of an
\noutstanding university, that the students were amateur
\npoliticians is perhaps more indicative of how out of touch he is
\nwith the younger generation, particularly university students.<\/p>\n
The state minister of public housing and settlement, a
\nprominent figure of the \"1966 generation\" of student activists,
\nremarked that demonstrations by students of his time related to
\nfundamental issues, seemingly implying the current demands of the
\nstudents do not. He also suggested that the students should share
\na common perception and devote themselves to national
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
Such remarks only serve to show how adversely affected these
\nhonorable ministers have been by co-optation and vested
\ninterests. One would hope that no accusations are leveled at the
\nstudents of being \"exploited by third parties\", something that
\nhas formed part of a growing habit of government leaders to find
\nscapegoats for things they do not like or cannot understand.<\/p>\n
It is also a manifestation of prejudice, the feeling of
\ninsecurity and reluctance to face the glaring realities right
\nbefore their eyes.<\/p>\n
Memories are short. Today's leaders, military as well as
\ncivilian, should remember that many of the founding fathers of
\nthis republic started their movement for national independence
\nwhen they were young university students: Sukarno and Hatta,
\nSyahrir, Ali Sastroamidjojo, and dozens of others in Western
\nEurope, particularly Holland.<\/p>\n
In many other countries, university students helped to make
\nhistory in their respective countries. This was true in South
\nKorea in the 1950s against the corrupt and autocratic rule of
\nPresident Syngman Rhee, and later against President Chun Doo
\nHwan, and in France at the beginning of the 1960s with the
\nmovement since then known as the dawn of the New Left. In
\nThailand in the 1970s, the student movement led to a change in
\nthe constitution; in the United States, students staged sit-ins
\nin their protest against the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n
Last but not least, in this country in 1966, the student
\nmovement brought continuous pressure to bear on the Sukarno
\nregime, and thereby, with the backing of the military,
\nparticularly the Army's special force, helped establish the New
\nOrder.<\/p>\n
If there is one big difference between the student protests
\ntoday and those 30 years ago it is that the 1966 student protests
\nwere openly supported by the military. The present student
\nprotests, clearly and definitely concerning no less fundamental
\nissues, particularly political and economic reforms, have yet to
\nenlist and enjoy the support of the military. Hence, the possible
\nsignificance of a dialog offered by the military leadership.<\/p>\n
It is still hard to tell whether it is possible and probable
\nthat the military will eventually be able to provide an effective
\nchannel for the students' demands, which, to my mind, do give
\nvoice to the widespread demands and aspirations of the people at
\nlarge.<\/p>\n
The General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly, the
\nsupreme governing body of the national political system, ended
\nlast month, having indicated not the slightest interest in the
\nissue of reform.<\/p>\n
Whatever the case may be, the students deserve to be listened
\nto. So far they have only been heard, loud and clear.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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