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