Student Movement Must Not Be Co-opted by Political Interests

JAKARTA – A statement by UGM student council leader Tio demanding the removal of the National Police Chief has drawn public attention. In response, Rampai Nusantara chairman, commonly known as Semar, has stressed that student movements are fundamentally moral movements that must stand above the interests of political power and serve the interests of the people instead.

“Students must indeed be critical. History proves that student movements are moral movements, a moral force, that safeguard national values and democracy. Criticism is necessary for national progress, so that we continuously improve ourselves,” Semar stated.

However, Semar contended that when demands escalate to removing state elites such as the National Police Chief, the substance of the movement warrants scrutiny.

“When the UGM student council begins calling for the removal of the National Police Chief, this is no longer merely a moral movement. It has entered the realm of politics laden with interests. The issue of changing the National Police Chief is an elite issue, not a people’s issue,” he asserted.

He also highlighted the fact that shortly after the statement emerged, several political parties currently outside government immediately responded with support.

“The public can see for themselves who responded quickly and offered support. We know there are certain political groups that have been pushing the issue of removing the National Police Chief for quite some time. When student movements enter the political arena, the space for co-option by interests opens up considerably,” continued Semar, a 1998 reform activist.

According to him, moral movements can only be co-opted by the interests of the people, not by the interests of power groups.

“If this is a purely moral movement, then its orientation must surely be about values and the interests of the people. But if it is already about removing certain elites, we must ask whether there is a political agenda being played out. Students must not become tools of power interest groups,” he said.

Semar urged all elements of the student movement to maintain the independence and integrity of their activism.

“Democracy requires critical students, but also independent and responsible ones. The dignity of the moral movement must not be tarnished by being swept along by practical politics, which we can clearly see the UGM student council has already engaged in,” he concluded.