ITB seeks new vision at congress

ITB seeks new vision at congress

BANDUNG, West Java (JP): The Bandung Institute of Technology
(ITB), one of Indonesia's oldest and most famous higher learning
institutions, is renowned for being the "campus of arts, science
and technology".

It is also well-known for being the birthplace of student
activists who went on to become important Indonesian political
figures. The first name that usually comes to mind when speaking
about famous graduates is Indonesia's first president Sukarno,
who finished his studies here in 1926.

The institute's current alumni congress will discuss
contributions they can make to the community, as well as to the
alma mater.

The five-yearly gathering of the Ikatan Alumni ITB (IAI),
however, has become a target of political speculation, especially
given the March presidential election and the subsequent
establishment of a new cabinet is just around the corner. Of the
cabinet's 40 members, for instance, 11 are ITB graduates.

Rector Lilik Hendrajaya, however, has dismissed the
speculation saying that the congress is held only to solidify
relations between alumni and their alma mater.

Birth

Since its conception in 1920, ITB has been geared to meeting
the demand for engineers that the Dutch colonial government found
difficult in its homeland due to World War II.

The institute was established on July 3, 1920, under the name
De Technische Hoogeschool te Bandung. At the time there was only
one department, namely de Faculteit van Technische Wetenschap.

On March 2, 1959, the college's name was changed into its
current name, and it went on to become one of the finest
engineering schools in the country.

Asiaweek this year ranked ITB 19th among the finest colleges
in the Asia-Pacific. Then British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher visited the campus in 1985, as did French President
Francois Mitterrand the following year where he was met by a
student demonstration.

Dissatisfaction

ITB has always tried to show its interest and involvement in
the community.

This was obvious in the 1960s when its students joined
demonstrations that led to the toppling of the Old Order regime
and the ushering in of the New Order. It also played a
significant role in the 1970s which some students called "The
Years of Dissatisfaction", according to Francois Raillon in his
book Politik dan Ideologi Mahasiswa Indonesia (The Politics and
Ideology of Indonesian Students, LP3ES, 1984).

In latter decades, students' restlessness grew and they became
embroiled in conflict. One of the most notable incidents,
according to Raillon, was the death of a student at the hands of
members of the Armed Forces following a brawl over a soccer game
on Oct. 6, 1970.

Protests over the incident turned into demonstrations against
the Armed Forces.

The same period also saw the emergence of activists who later
became very prominent including Sarwono Kusumaatmadja (now State
Minister of Environment and former Golkar secretary-general),
Wimar Witoelar (a noted talk show host) and Rahman Tolleng.

Throughout its existence, ITB has always displayed great
dynamics, but the period 1980-1990 should be given special
attention, given the growing political nuance in its activities.

The "August 5, 1989 case" is one example. Students protested
and insulted then home minister Rudini on a visit to open a
Pancasila course. Six students went to jail and were expelled by
Rector Wiranto Arismunandar.

More recently ITB has taken a backseat and, according to
observers, the noises they used to make about democratization and
its "fight for the small people" have grown less audible.

One of the burdens the institute's association of alumni now
face is to help dispel the image that ITB has become an "ivory
tower" where a group of highly competent people are too
preoccupied with themselves and have grown detached from their
community.

President

The association of ITB alumni made it a point that President
Soeharto open its five-yearly congress, including its 1992
congress in November.

The current congress was originally scheduled to be held
between Nov. 27 and Nov. 30, but was postponed until Soeharto
returned from his overseas trip.

It is therefore no surprise that some people have questioned
whether there's a connection between the congress and the
establishment of the Indonesian cabinet.

The 1988/1993 cabinet, for instance, had eight ITB graduates.
They included Hartarto, Radinal Mochtar, Azwar Anas, Ginandjar
Kartasasmita, B.J. Habibie, Siswono Yudohusodo, Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja, and Tunky Ariwibowo.

The 11 ministers in the current cabinet include the eight
names above, plus Haryanto Dhanutirto, Sanyoto Sastrowardoyo and
Wardiman Djojonegoro.

The institute says the ongoing congress "has a special and
strategic mission. The alumni of ITB are expected to reach a
common perception, to discuss and solidify commitment to glorify
the nation".

But what really needs to be addressed according to one
prominent alumnae, Cacuk Sudarijanto, is the vision of the
association and the institute.

Former rector Iskandar Alisjahbana urged that the development
of science and technology in the institute be geared to the
future of the nation and humanity. This means that students need
entrepreneurship in addition to engineering and philosophical
studies.

The congress will also elect a new chairman to replace Giri
Suseno. Seven prominent names have been circulating as candidates
for the 1997/2001 term. They include businessman Fadel Muhammad,
Cacuk (former president of PT Telkom), Meilono Suwondo, Prasetyo
Sunaryo of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of
Technology (BPPT), Sofjan Tsauri (head of the National Institute
of Sciences), Cahyono S. (president of Indosat) and Zoehal of
BPPT. (43)