Emha appears

Emha appears
in Diponegoro

SEMARANG, Central Java: Noted poet Emha Ainun Nadjib, who has
been banned from making several public engagements in recent
months, appeared at Diponegoro University on Saturday with a
paper on democracy.

Emha said the increasing number of labor protests and street
demonstrations indicate that there is a thirst for democracy.

Addressing 500 students from various universities, he said
materialism is the biggest enemy for Indonesia. Virtually every
aspect of life, ranging from law to health and culture have now
been turned into business or profit centers, he said.

Muladi, the university's rector, said he had given permission
for Emha to appear because he was addressing an academic
forum.(wah/prs)