BEM UI sticks to moral action, upholds reform

JAKARTA (JP): University of Indonesia's Student Executive Body (BEM UI), which leads other student bodies from various universities in anti-President Abdurrahman Wahid rallies here, says its aim is not to force the President to resign.

BEM UI chairman Taufik Riyadi said the students would continue with moral and peaceful actions to demand a continuation of the reform agenda.

"It would be too trivial to demand Gus Dur's resignation, we will continue to demand the reform agenda be upheld, especially the fight against corruption, collusion and nepotism," Taufik told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Separately, another BEM UI leader, Subhan, insisted that the organization was not an anti-Gus Dur movement.

"We are not Gus Dur opponents. We are just advocating the reform agenda," Subhan, who was accompanied by Taufik and two other BEM UI leaders, told reporters after meeting executives of the country's largest Muslim organization, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), at NU's office on Jl. Agus Salim, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday.

BEM UI was established two years ago to replace the university's student senate (SM UI).

SM UI and its chairman Rama Pratama played an important role along with other student leaders here in massive rallies which forced president Soeharto to resign in May 1998.

Taufik, who was former chairman of the student senate of the university's law school, denied that BEM UI did not start its activities until the House of Representatives investigated two scandals in which the President has been implicated.

He said BEM UI had regularly presented Soeharto awards in efforts to eliminate corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN).

"Last year, we gave Gus Dur and Attorney General Marzuki Darusman Soeharto awards for failing to prevent KKN," he remarked.

He strongly denied rumors that BEM UI or its leaders had anything to do with former ruling Golkar Party or that his organization was being used by the party.

He also denied that BEM UI was paid by Golkar's chairman Akbar Tandjung, who is also speaker of the House of Representatives, to conduct rallies against the President.

He said his organization had received many donations from the public.

The Jakarta Post earlier received a copy of a letter which thanked BEM UI for its support of Golkar during the House's plenary session on Feb. 1, which resulted in a memorandum of censure against the President. The letter had the Golkar Party's logo on it and was allegedly signed by Akbar.

Earlier, a letter apparently signed by the party's deputy chairman Agung Laksono stating the party's support for BEM UI was circulated among the press.

"It's slander to destroy our solidity. The letters are fake," Taufik said.

He denied that there were rifts between UI students, despite the differences in opinion as shown in statements issued by the UI Student Action Forum (FAM UI), which along with other student organizations has demanded the disbandment of the Golkar Party.

"FAM is small, new and does not represent students. I was elected by more than 8,000 students last year," he claimed.

Dozens of BEM UI members were involved in a fight with members of FAM UI on Friday night at UI's Salemba campus, Central Jakarta. Three students were injured in the incident. (jun)