Lack of political channels lead to student protests
Lack of political channels lead to student protests
SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): Political scientists blame the
growth in student protests on a lack of political channels.
Ariel Heryanto of the Satya Wacana Christian University said
yesterday that the emergence of student forums, and protests to
show solidarity with society's weak, is positive.
"It's proof of public concern over realities that they find
unacceptable," he told The Jakarta Post.
Novel Ali of the Diponegoro University said that student
protests are sign of conflicts "between the political
superstructure and infrastructure".
"There is a social restlessness which grows out of the fact
that the superstructure's power dominates," he said.
Students establish various organizations and solidarity forums
for the downtrodden because there are no institutions that
adequately articulate their concerns, he added.
"Political parties, the press and the existing non-
governmental organizations don't perform as expected," Novel
said.
"Political parties and the press are preoccupied with their
own interests," Ariel furthered.
The two men were commenting on how students have promptly
establish solidarity forums in response to reports of abuse or
conflict that stem from social gaps.
The students also take to the streets to march to various
institutions.
When Tempo, DeTik and Editor were banned last June, students
established the Indonesian Solidarity Forum for Press Freedom,
while women activists set up the Women for Press Freedom.
When news of human rights abuses in Timika, Irian Jaya, broke,
students formed the Forum for Human Rights Protection.
The protracted dispute at Satya Wacana University over the
dismissal of dozens of teachers by the college president, has
prompted students to establish the Solidarity Forum of Students.
"This is a new phenomenon," Ariel insisted.
Such student forums are an alternative outlet of non-
government organizations which are considered too slow in
articulating public interest, Ariel added.
He disagreed with comments that solidarity forums lead to
brutal and anarchic actions. Even if such actions did occur, they
are only "excesses of a surge of unheeded aspirations," he
explained.
The National Commission for Human Rights, he said, can no
longer answer the many calls for help. "Although the commission
comes from above, it has performed well. But it is now
overwhelmed," said Ariel.
The commission, which has moved to its rented office on Jl.
Pemuda in East Jakarta, has stated it will limit its services to
"political cases".
Up to now, the commission has often had to deal with
complaints about land appropriations or the effects of high-
voltage power lines on health.
Since it was set up in 1993, the commission has received
reports on more than 4,000 cases, said deputy chairman Marzuki
Darusman.
Now "the rights commission will concentrate more on how to
better supervise government policies," he said.
The commission recently stated it will review laws which
allegedly abuse human rights. Marzuki cited the laws on the
press, newspaper publishing licenses and political parties as
examples of laws which need reviewing. (har)