Arief's firing is internal problem of the university

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)