'No election campaign in campuses'

JAKARTA (JP): Election campaigning should not be conducted on college and university campuses because it goes against the mission of higher learning institutions, according to a rector.

Muladi, rector of Semarang-based Diponegoro University, said yesterday even the so-called "campaign through dialog," supposed to be an alternative to street rallies where the risk of trouble is great, should not be held on campuses.

"There's no way an election campaign could be scientific in nature. It'll be very emotional, probably even marked with name- calling -- campuses are the venues for scientific discourse only," Muladi was quoted by Antara as saying in Semarang yesterday.

"If election campaigns are held on campuses, they will tarnish the spirit of science and academic freedom," he asserted.

Muladi was responding to suggestions by leaders of the United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party that a certain mode of campaigning, in this case the political debates Indonesians called "campaign through dialog," be held on campuses in order to remain neutral.

Muladi, also a member of the National Commission on Human Rights and a champion of people's freedom for expression, said election campaigns are meant to amass popular support.

"This can't be done on campuses because there's the national policy that campuses should not be turned into venues for practical politics," he said.

"(Administrators of) campuses who permit election campaigning are disloyal toward the national consensus on education," he added.

He said he doubted there would be people willing to claim responsibility should unrest break out during campaigns on campuses. "People would flee ... and that means rectors would have to be held responsible," he said.

He suggested election campaigns, instead, be held in surrounding areas, during which university students could also attend.

"As long as it's not on campuses. The campuses should be left as neutral areas," he reiterated. (swe)