ITB off limits for campaigning

BANDUNG: The state Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) students community rejected on Saturday any election campaigning inside their campus.

They said election campaigns on campus would adversely affect students' study.

"The reason behind our rejection is that a campus is a venue to develop sciences. The spirit of its neutrality should remain intact," ITB Student Association's president, Alga Indria, told reporters here.

Alga said if campaigning was allowed at ITB, one of the country's oldest institutes, it could disrupt the students' lives and affect their morale.

The rejection was not only directed at rallies but also debates related to the election. The election law says a campus could be a venue for an election campaign, with the approval of the rector.

For the first time in Indonesia's modern history, eligible voters all over the country will vote directly for a president and vice president in 2004. A legislative election will also be held in the same year. -- Antara