Greater campus freedom?

Greater campus freedom?

Given the fact that the issue of freedom of speech on
Indonesian campuses has long been the cause of so much
frustration among students, academics and intellectuals, one
might wonder why the recent announcement by the Coordinating
Minister for Political Affairs and Security, Soesilo Soedarman,
has not met with the unanimous enthusiastic appreciation one
might expect.

As has been reported, the minister, speaking after chairing a
special meeting of the cabinet on Thursday last week, announced
that the government had decided to waive the requirement that on-
campus activities be covered by permits. Thus far, permits were
required for all activities, including academic seminars,
especially those to which speakers from outside the campus were
invited.

Thus, theoretically at least, the new government measure will
give students and other members of academic communities in this
country the freedom they have long yearned for in enriching their
outlook and vision with the fresh views and ideas they need to
expand and mature as free-thinking, full-fledged intellectuals of
the future.

This, by the way, is the stance taken by observers, such as
retired Gen. Soemitro, who welcomed the government decision as a
step "to return the freedom of the rostrum to the campus", since
allowing free speech on campuses was "the beginning of the
democratization process".

In rather sharp contrast to the optimism expressed by Gen.
Soemitro, was the reserved attitude -- to put it mildly --
expressed by the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation. In the
foundation's opinion, the decision is no more than a feeble move
under which the political development of students will continue
to be shackled.

A statement, signed by the foundation's communications
director, Hendardi, said the decision merely shifted the
authority to issue permits from many hands -- meaning the police
and social-political authorities and the National Stability
Coordinating Agency -- to the hands of the respective university
rectors.

Given the disparity of the opinions expressed, one might
wonder how the same decision could give rise to such contrasting
views. The key to the explanation, we assume, is in how much one
believes in the presumed autonomy of the university rectors
concerned.

The fact is that campus life in Indonesia is only a part of a
much larger system which in its most extreme scope embraces the
community as a whole. We are sure there is no doubt that -- as
long as rectors are capable, or have the courage, to assume the
full authority and responsibility which they are supposed to have
-- the new leeway which the latest government decision gives to
our universities can indeed be of great merit to academic life on
our campuses.

Unfortunately, however, this is also precisely where we
believe the problem will lie. Assuming responsibilities has its
implications and, human nature being what it is, we are afraid
that the new permit waiver may be of limited value to students in
too many cases and that restrictions will continue to prevail.

Unless, of course, the system under which we live also changes
and is made to adjust more to the dynamics of our society and to
the demands of an entirely new generation of Indonesians, raised
in a climate of rising expectations.

But lest we may sound over-pessimistic, let us conclude by
saying that in so far as the government is sincere in its choice
of allowing greater freedom on our campuses, the step is one in
the right direction. The ball is now in the court of our
university rectors, who must henceforth exercise their duties
with perhaps an even greater measure of wisdom and
responsibility.