Student demos deserve honor

Student demos deserve honor

On Nov. 15, I watched a dialog forum on TVRI in which
representatives from various religions discussed the Semanggi
incident. Present at the forum were Mr. Djaelani, Mr. Amaral, Mr.
Cosmas Batubara, Mrs. Miriam Budiardjo and Mrs. Murdaya, who
represented the Buddhist faith during the forum.

Mrs. Murdaya, as a mother very much against violence, I was
very disappointed with you for what you had said during the
dialog. You said, among other things, that tens of thousands of
students must have been organized, and that they could not have
come together unless there had been supporters.

In your comments, Mrs. Murdaya, you also very clearly took
sides with the security apparatus, despite the fact that they had
obviously and unfairly committed violent acts against the
students. This was obvious from the way they fired their weapons
at unarmed students, and kept beating helpless victims until some
of them lost their lives and many more were seriously wounded.
During the dialog, you also seemed to disapprove of parents who
allowed their children to join student demonstrations.

Mrs. Murdaya, as a mother -- and I believe many mothers
opposed to your statements will do likewise -- I would like to
pose the following questions to you:

* How can you be sure that the students have been exploited
and financed? Isn't the student movement a moral drive which has
drawn the sympathy of other people, and has, as a result,
prompted them to spontaneously donate whatever they have in their
possession to the students' movement?

* Didn't the live TV reports on the brutal murder of some
students and community members by armed security personnel touch
your conscience in the least? What the security apparatus did
during the Semanggi incident demonstrated their arrogance, didn't
it? Have you also lost your conscience, Mrs. Murdaya, so that you
can no longer distinguish what is just and what is not?

I'm also worried when my children join demonstrations.
However, it is not fair to keep our children in safety while
their friends are waging a struggle and sacrificing their safety
and their lives. Students deserve greater honor and respect.

Mrs. Murdaya, you said during the dialog that many well-off
parents finally decided to send their children abroad for their
schooling because of the many dangers lurking here at home. That
may be true. However, you may not be aware that many rich parents
prefer to send their children to universities here. So don't
generalize this matter.

I believe many mothers sympathize with the students in their
struggle, and many mothers also share the grief of those mothers
who have lost their children. You have to realize that young
people always spearhead change, as seen in our struggle for
independence and again in 1966. Mind you, only the young can do
this. Unfortunately, once some of these young people get into
positions of power, they tend to forget their former struggle.
They seem to forget that what their own children -- today's
students -- are doing is exactly what they previously did.

Mrs. Murdaya, may all of the above move you as a member of the
Supreme Advisory Council.

MAGDALENA SITORUS

Jakarta