Don't involve students in demos

Don't involve students in demos

From Suara Karya

Rallies have been staged again recently on an increasing scale
in Jakarta, Surabaya and other cities across the country.
Unfortunately, it seems that these rallies have been exploited by
certain quarters. We can see television reports of rallies held
by those in favor of or against the President where some of the
participants have clearly been forced to take part in the
rallies.

In a number of the rallies, we can easily see secondary school
students, still wearing their school uniform, taking part. One
may suspect that their teachers or the "rulers" in their schools
may have forced them to join the rallies. Failing to participate
in a rally may mean punishment for them.

If this is the case, what will happen to these students? Must
their education take second place for the sake of a particular
group's interest? If this is true, it is really sinful to let it
happen because the trust that the students' parents/guardians
have placed in the people they trust has been abused.

What will happen to this country? There will be no progress in
our education if education always takes second place after the
interest or ambition of a particular group only.

I hope that teachers will heed this complaint, that comes from
the heart of a student's parent. Do not abuse our trust. Do not
exploit our children as an instrument to achieve personal or
group ambition. Remember that we do not send our children to
school in order to join street rallies. It will be different if
our children have joined a university and wish to join a street
rally by themselves.

SRI MOENIARTI

Jakarta