Student demonstrations

Student demonstrations

The incident which occurred in Surakarta last Tuesday deserves
our attention. Students of Universitas Sebelas Maret (March 11
University) who had been holding their protests on campus grounds
took their action to the street. As a consequence, a clash with
security officers occurred and at least 40 students were wounded.

Yesterday (Wednesday), in the same city, protesting students
of Muhammadiyah University were attacked with tear gas, whose
origin remains unknown. The students, however, accused the
security officers who were keeping a tight guard on the campus as
having initiated the attack.

Student movements began losing their significance when
developing countries started building their democratic systems
and mechanisms. Formal democratic institutions took over the role
of the students. Campuses went back to their basic function as
centers of excellence and became bastions of morality.

For this process to flow smoothly, however, an optimal working
of the democratic institutions must be assumed. Whenever the
country's government, political parties and judicial institutions
fail to represent the living conscience of the nation, students
and campuses will become the alternative means of public
expression.

A professional management of security is one that is capable
of preventing bloodshed. Any blood shed in the name of security
constitutes a failure. We hope the present campus protests may
soon end in dialogs, as offered by the chief of the Armed Forces.
Democracy is badly manifested if our campuses are kept under
heavy guard by security officers.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta