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.