Student movements are 'highly politicized', says observer

JAKARTA (JP): The ongoing student movements are "highly politicized" since they are allied to the members of the political elite, an observer told an open dialog on Friday.

"Students are part of the elite in the community structure. They emerge as the sole element that actually has the power to act as an agent of change," observer Yudi Latif of Paramadina Mulya University told a dialog held by private television station SCTV.

It is also a fact that the student movement is "a loose, fluid movement" that needs to have ties with the political elite, he said.

"Their movement, directly or indirectly, is connected with the leanings of the members of the political elite. That is why they are highly politicized," he said, adding that it is hard to find a pure, moral movement nowadays.

All aspects of the nation are contaminated by the leftovers of the New Order regime, he said.

"We are living with our past. And we cannot expect this country to be free or make a clean break with the past," Yudi said.

Also attending the dialog were student representatives from several elements which are considered both anti and pro with regard to President Abdurrahman Wahid's administration.

They were Indra Falatehan of the University of Indonesia's Student Executive Board (BEM), Burhanuddin of the Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN)'s BEM, and Nur Hidayanto of the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University Student Group and representative of BEM Indonesia.

"We believe (Assembly Speaker) Amien Rais' presence at the March 12 rally at the Presidential Palace certainly projected a political agenda of his own ... and therefore I think students must be careful in defining people's support and not being trapped.

Indra, however, dismissed allegations that his camp invited Amien Rais.

"We never invited him. He came on his own initiative.

"As for the previous violence that took place during earlier rallies ... well, it's hard to deal with mass action, especially when the students are provoked into it," Indra said.

Separately, parents of Leon Poltak Simanjutak -- a student who became a victim of violence allegedly conducted by members of BEM UI in Salemba, Central Jakarta on March 14 -- urged the students not to resort to violence and stick to intellectual activities.

"My son was almost burnt alive. It's crazy. He just happened to be near a group of protesting students when it happened. He was bleeding profusely and badly bruised and a doctor at RSCM (Cipto Mangunkusumo Public Hospital) saved his life, but he lost all of his belongings.

"I think this student movement will be counterproductive since it relies on mass action, which is prone to great chaos," Pinto Simanjuntak, Leon's father, said.

Earlier in the day, the national meeting of 130 deputy rectors for student affairs from both the public and private universities in the country called for students "to stay away from anarchy and keep their studies in focus."

"I'm afraid that the students will fail their studies if they keep on staging protests like this," Sudharmadi, director of Curriculum and University Student affairs of the ministry of national education said. (edt)