Arief Budiman's dismissal (1)

I was disturbed to read the letter from Dr. David T. Hill, Murdock University (The Jakarta Post Nov. 21, 1994) insinuating that Arief Budiman's intellectual freedom and right to voice his opinion had been threatened by Satya Wacana Christian University. Surely Dr. Hill and his 42 friends are not serious. Dr. Budiman's dismissal was a disciplinary action taken after he had conducted a smear campaign against the university's Board of Regents. The case has nothing whatsoever to do with academic freedom.

One should also question the wisdom of a group of "academicians" who rush to the aid of a colleague without checking the facts first and who interfere in the internal affairs of a university in another country. If the "mutual understanding" they promote has been damaged, it is they themselves who are to blame.

KRISHNA DJAYA DARIMURTI

Satya Wacana Christian University

Salatiga, Central Java