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)