Major protest sweeps Salatiga university over Arief's dismissal

SALATIGA, Central Java (JP): Three hundred students and academicians of the Satya Wacana Christian University continued demonstrating their opposition to the dismissal of lecturer Arief Budiman yesterday.

They ignored the rector's call for restoration of order to allow the resumption of the learning-teaching process at the prestigious university, which has been disrupted since Arief was fired more than a week ago.

The demonstrators demanded that Arief be reinstated and that rector John Joy Ihalauw and the university's foundation chief Haryono Semangun step down for firing the outspoken academic on dubious charges.

Seen among the protesters was Dr. Nico L. Kana, head of post graduate studies on development, one of the numerous senior academics, who considered Arief's dismissal "emotional, a show of arrogance on the part of the university leadership and therefore unacceptable."

The university fired Arief on the grounds that the outspoken American-educated sociologist had ignored various disciplinary warnings since 1988. His latest offense was his article in a Jakarta daily critical of the college's leadership.

He also spearheaded strong opposition to the rector's election, which he says was undemocratic, and the demands that it be annulled.

George Junus Aditjondro, who has been questioned by police in Yogyakarta on the allegation that he slandered the government in a seminar in August, said the university leadership did not expect the reaction to the dismissal.

"They dismissed Arief emotionally because they have personal problems with him," he said.

Semangun, who has insisted he will not retract his decision to sack Arief, said he would not step down unless the church required him to do so.

"I rely on the church," he said.

Rector Ihalauw said he would retire only if the university's foundation, which elected him despite storms of objection, requested him to do so. (har/pan)