Students keep on writing against the odds<\/p>\n
A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Members of the editorial staff of the Viaduct tabloid listen
\nattentively to the explanation of their general manager, Lamgiat
\nSiringoringo, on the planned publication of their bimonthly
\ntabloid.<\/p>\n
Sitting on the floor in Viaduct's nine-square-meter office,
\nLamgiat asks his friends to be more active in raising funds for
\nthe publication of the 16-page tabloid, which is run by students
\nof Atmajaya Catholic University's law school.<\/p>\n
\"We don't want the bureaucracy of the university to intervene
\nin the tabloid. So, we decided to rise funds from friends and
\nalumnae. It has been almost a year (since we started looking for
\nthe funds),\" Lamgiat, a student, said.<\/p>\n
He said it only cost Rp 1.5 million (US$153) to print 1,000
\ncopies of the tabloid.<\/p>\n
Chief editor Marlon Hutajulu said the tabloid used to appear
\nregularly, but started to face problems this year after it was
\naffected by internal problems, such as poor relations between
\nstudents and lecturers, high cost of education, etc. The
\nuniversity has since withheld students' activity assistance funds
\nfor the paper.<\/p>\n
\"Although we apply a 'cover-both-sides' principle, the
\nbureaucracy still disagree. We have rejected their demands to
\nsupply draft copies of articles before publication,\" the student
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
But Viaduct is not alone. Many publications run by students
\nacross the country face similar obstacles.<\/p>\n
Former chief editor of Didaktika, Epung Saifudin, confirmed
\nthat the magazine, which is run by students of the Jakarta State
\nUniversity (UNJ), confronted similar prohibitions.<\/p>\n
\"We often postpone publication due to lack of funds. We used
\nto publish the magazine three times a year,\" said Epung, who is
\nstudent of UNJ's political and social sciences department.<\/p>\n
The universities' officials could not be contacted for
\nimmediate comment.<\/p>\n
The winds of change, especially in terms of freedom of press,
\nafter the downfall of the authoritarian regime of Soeharto, have
\napparently not yet touched educational institutions.<\/p>\n
Although there have been no reports of students actually being
\nexpelled for their writings in campus publications, such
\nrestrictions have caused concerns among some press freedom
\nadvocates.<\/p>\n
Media observer Atmakusumah Astraatmaja called on officials of
\nuniversities to give more freedom to their students in expressing
\ntheir opinions.<\/p>\n
\"The student magazine is not aimed at maintaining the image of
\na university. It is a medium for students to learn journalism,\"
\nthe former chief of the Indonesian Press Council said.<\/p>\n
Atmakusumah suggested that the universities facilitate
\ntraining in journalism in order to improve students' skill in
\nreporting and writing, instead of attempting to restrict them in
\nexpressing their opinions.<\/p>\n
He proposed that the press council could mediate if a dispute
\narose between students and universities related to their opinions
\nin the publications.<\/p>\n
Despite the restrictions, students' enthusiasm for journalism
\nand expressing their opinions through writing remains strong.
\nMore and more students, female and male, have been attracted to
\nmanaging student publications despite funding difficulties.<\/p>\n
Student publications often organize journalistic training to
\nimprove the skills of members of their editorial boards.<\/p>\n
Marlon said his tabloid often invited alumni, including former
\nchief editor of Suara Pembaruan daily, Cyprianus Aoer, who is now
\na legislator for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, to
\ngive training sessions.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Epung said that many 'graduates' of Didaktika, who
\nhave since become professional journalists, also contribute their
\nknowledge to their juniors.<\/p>",
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