Students, be united!

Students, be united!

From Media Indonesia

Recently the students' movement has become more intensified.
Unfortunately their movement has been polarized since May 1998 so
that the unification of students into a massive power capable of
crushing the regime that has betrayed the people is impossible.
What is more obvious is that efforts to seek students' support
have accelerated. Some students' movements say that our political
leaders have betrayed the reform agenda, while some others
persistently stick to one issue only.

I think that whatever the form of polarization of students'
movements, if they have one common issue they can reclaim the
massive power that had been lost. There is obviously an
indication that part of the students' power has succumbed to the
money offered by the power holders of the regime. And the
cleverness of the power holders to recruit supporting masses has
convinced me of this.

To reveal the truth in terms of morality, combined with
intellectual strength is the special characteristic of the
students. If some students have eventually deviated from this, I
am afraid that the high integrity that is expected of them as
this nation's future leaders, will be far from the people's
expectations. There are three reasons why students cannot unite
themselves.

First, if moral power can be bought, no truth will ever be
unveiled. Second, students who consistently place themselves in
the corridor of intellectuality and morality are real fighters
who are ready to sacrifice themselves for the interests of the
people. And third, the unification of students with the two
different mental outlooks cannot possibly be realized, because
each has been tarnished by their respective ego.

ADITYA PERDANA

Jakarta