'Stay on campus' ministers tell student protesters

'Stay on campus' ministers tell student protesters

JAKARTA (JP): New Minister for Education and Culture Wiranto
Arismunandar and Minister of Home Affairs R. Hartono responded
favorably to the increasing number of student demonstrations
demanding political reform, but warned the youths against taking
their protests onto the streets.

Wiranto and Hartono, interviewed separately yesterday, agreed
there were no reasons to reject constructive criticism from
students, who have vociferously protested over the economic
hardship facing Indonesia and the need for political and economic
reform.

Wiranto, however, said the students should stay within campus
sites while demonstrating because they were "amateurs, not
professional politicians."

"I do not want students to be politically illiterate," he told
the media after the transfer of duty from his predecessor
Wardiman Djojonegoro.

Over the past month, students from both private and state-run
universities in many cities have held demonstrations against the
rising prices of basic commodities and asking for clean
governance and political and economic reforms.

The protests have so far been largely peaceful, however minor
clashes have occurred when students attempted to leave campus
sites and demonstrate on the streets.

Last week, a violent incident took place near the entrance to
a private university in Surabaya, East Java. Seven students and a
police officer sustained minor injuries.

The latest violent incident took place on Tuesday in Surakarta
when about 2,000 students from the state-run Sebelas Maret
University staged a protest and chanted slogans blaming the
government for the ongoing monetary crisis.

Scuffles between the students and 80 security officers armed
with batons broke out during the demonstration. Riot police tried
to disperse the students by hosing them with water.

Dozens of students fainted and required medical attention for
facial injuries. Yesterday afternoon eight students were still in
hospital suffering from bruising. Doctors expected that they
would be released today.

Wiranto said it would not be necessary to suppress student
protests. However, the students needed to understand that they
would become part of the problem, rather than offering a
solution, if their protests proceeded in a "wasteful, rather than
beneficial" way.

"Students are learned members of society... their ideas must
be excellent, and so must their behavior," he added.

Asked if he supported the student protests, Wiranto said: "If
they have good reasons, why not. But as for me, what's important
is the benefit (of the protests). Don't go overboard, or the
protests would prove to be an overkill."

Wiranto declined to comment on whether or not the protests
were politically motivated.

"I hope that the students have genuine motives and really want
to help the nation escape from the monetary crisis," he said.

Meanwhile, Hartono said the government would respond
positively to the students' demands and criticism.

"Why should we reject constructive criticism from the
students?" he said.

Asked whether the student movement has threatened national
stability and order, Hartono said they were still within the
bounds of the 1945 Constitution.

He added that his office would be ready to hold dialog with
the students.

Student protests continued yesterday and were focused in
Central Java.

In Surakarta, 1,000 students of the Surakarta Muhammadiyah
University (UMS) staged a protest demanding political and
economic reform on their campus in Pabelan, Sukoharjo regency.

Also in Surakarta, nine supporters of the ousted Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri staged a
hunger strike to symbolize their demand for immediate government
action to settle the crisis.

Similar protests were staged by students of the private Sultan
Agung Islamic University in Semarang and the Institute of Islamic
Studies in Salatiga. (swa/har/aan/imn)