Haedar Nashir on Alleged Harassment at UMY-UAD: Take Firm Action Without Compromise

The General Chairman of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah, Haedar Nashir, has spoken out regarding alleged sexual harassment cases at two universities under Muhammadiyah’s auspices, namely Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD) and Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY). Haedar stated that this matter falls under the purview of each campus rector. However, he stressed that the issue must be handled with the utmost seriousness. “I hear and believe this is the rector’s domain, and they are taking serious, very serious steps,” Haedar said when met at the Prime UMY Hotel Convention & Dormitory, Bantul, on Monday evening (13/7/2026). “And I hope, I request, that these serious steps be followed up with firm, uncompromising actions,” he continued. Regarding such firm and uncompromising action, Haedar deferred to the rectors. He reiterated that sexual harassment must not be given any space, especially in educational institutions. “The rector has corridors. Legal corridors, regulations, and moral standards which I believe they already have as normative standards,” Haedar said. “Because this is a domain of ethics, morals, and public space where we all hope that no room is given to matters of demoralisation, to the degradation of the nation’s potential, including drugs and various other issues that must be the commitment of all educational institutions in Indonesia,” he concluded. It was previously reported that social media was recently shocked by two alleged sexual harassment cases at UMY and UAD. In the UMY case, a pharmacy lecturer allegedly committed sexual harassment against a student. The university immediately investigated the case and suspended the lecturer. The case went viral on social media after a Threads account, @silentscrm, posted three screenshots of WhatsApp conversations between the lecturer and the victims, containing inappropriate language. UMY issued a written statement signed by Rector Prof Achmad Nurmandi on 11 July 2026, confirming the investigation and the lecturer’s suspension. Meanwhile, at UAD, a student with the initials ACR allegedly sexually harassed two female students during a community service programme (KKN). The victims reported the incident through internal mechanisms to the university’s LPPM. UAD’s Head of Public Relations and Protocol, Ariadi Nugraha, expressed concern and stated that the relevant units had followed up on the report according to applicable procedures. “Currently, LPPM has imposed an initial sanction by cancelling and not granting permission to participate in the KKN programme for two periods. This decision has been approved by the parents or guardians of both parties,” Ariadi said in a written statement.