Arief's firing is internal problem of the university

JAKARTA (JP): The government has no intention of intervening in the internal conflict currently roiling the Christian University of Satya Wacana, Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro says.

Speaking shortly after a meeting with President Soeharto here on Saturday, Wardiman said the decision is in compliance with the President's guidance.

"Since the recent dismissal of Dr. Arief Budiman from his post as lecturer by the Satya Wacana Foundation the government has dealt with the problem strictly as an internal issue," he said.

"We are outsiders in this case. We can only intervene into the problem of a private university when we are asked to help improve the institution's quality," he said.

He added that each institution had its own set of rules on how to solve an internal dispute.

He said his ministry would intervene only if the dispute is found to disturb academic processes or public order.

Conflict in the university, located in the hilly town of Salatiga, Central Java, has been going on for almost two weeks since the foundation chairman, Haryono Semangun, who manages the university, sacked Arief Budiman from the School of Graduate Studies for ignoring disciplinary warnings.

Conflicts between Arief and university leaders first arose earlier this year when the American-educated sociologist opposed the election of John JOI Ihalauw as rector, claiming the results as undemocratic.

Following Arief's dismissal, hundreds of students and dozens of lecturers and reverends have joined hands in protesting the decision. Since then, the move has practically paralyzed the university's activities.

Lecturers, who were planning to boycott classes, have also threatened to resign unless Ihalauw and Haryono step down or Arief is reinstated.

Team

Wardiman was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying over the weekend that his ministry had sent a team, led by the ministry's Director for Higher Education Sambas Wirakusumah, to Satya Wacana to look into the dispute.

"I am now waiting for the team's reports," he said.

Numerous letters of concern from overseas universities, including Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and several institutions in the United States, have also been addressed to Wardiman, expressing concern over what they consider repression of free speech at Satya Wacana.

"Since it was established, Satya Wacana has been an oasis of democracy... We deeply regret what is currently happening," said a message from Prof. James Fax from the University of Australia.

He said he had contacted several churches and institutions in his country to reconsider their aid and cooperation agreements with Satya Wacana if the case is not solved. Similar actions have also been taken by institutions in the U.S.

According to Antara, Arief has re-emphasized the importance of resolving the dispute democratically, doubting that the informal meeting, which brought together the rector, the chairman of the foundation and representatives of the university's 18 founding churches, would be fruitful.

The meeting, which was held in Semarang last week, was sponsored and mediated by Radius Prawiro, an honorary member of the foundation and a former finance minister.(har/pwn)