Forget competency at UI's rectorial final selection

Forget competency at UI's rectorial final selection

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The final selection in the University of Indonesia (UI)'s
rectorial election contest will be based on the candidates'
popularity and the voters' acceptance rather than competence, one
of the electors revealed on Monday.

A member of the UI Board of Trustees (MWA), who asked for
anonymity, blamed this situation on the principles underlying the
rectorial election, which depend more on subjective
considerations rather than shared or common criteria.

"As the subjective considerations are much more dominant (in
the election), the winner will be the one who is most acceptable
and popular (among the electors)," the trustee said.

The MWA consists of 21 people involved with the university,
including representatives of the lecturers, students,
businesspeople, the public and the Minister of Education.

Thus far, seven candidates have passed the first screening and
so are qualified to participate in the next stage of the
election.

They are Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, the only woman candidate and
head of the School of Law's criminal department; Jimly Assidiqie,
professor of administrative law; Budi Soesilo Supanji, dean,
School of Engineering; Usman Chatib Warsa, UI acting rector and
professor of medicine; Noekman Moeloek, lecturer, School of
Medicine; Martani Huseini, dean, School of Social and Political
Science; and Djoko Hartanto, lecturer, School of Engineering.

The new rector will take up his post in August and serve for a
five-year term.

Meanwhile, UI rectorial election spokeswoman Diennaryati
Tjokro said the university would allow the seven candidates to
carry out direct canvassing on Aug. 1 at the Depok campus.

"They will launch their campaigns in front of UI staff,
lecturers and students," she said, adding that the event would be
open to the public.

The university's Board of Trustees is to interview the
candidates to assess their suitability on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6, as a
result of which the number of candidates will be whittled down
from seven to four. On Aug. 12, the board will choose two
candidates out of the last four.

The final round, which will result in the selection of the UI
rector for the 2002-2007 term, is scheduled for Aug. 14. The
winner will be chosen by a vote. The Minister of Education will
have the lion's share of the vote with 30 percent.

Ideally, according to a member of the board who spoke on
condition of anonymity, the university, whose status was changed
to that of a state-owned body corporate (BHMN) in 2000, should be
fully competent to elect its own rector.

UI, along with two of the country's other leading state
universities, the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in
Bandung, West Java, and Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta,
were also endowed with the new status, which requires them, among
others things, to be more independent as regards financing and
management.