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.