Students keep on writing against the odds

A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Members of the editorial staff of the Viaduct tabloid listen attentively to the explanation of their general manager, Lamgiat Siringoringo, on the planned publication of their bimonthly tabloid.

Sitting on the floor in Viaduct's nine-square-meter office, Lamgiat asks his friends to be more active in raising funds for the publication of the 16-page tabloid, which is run by students of Atmajaya Catholic University's law school.

"We don't want the bureaucracy of the university to intervene in the tabloid. So, we decided to rise funds from friends and alumnae. It has been almost a year (since we started looking for the funds)," Lamgiat, a student, said.

He said it only cost Rp 1.5 million (US$153) to print 1,000 copies of the tabloid.

Chief editor Marlon Hutajulu said the tabloid used to appear regularly, but started to face problems this year after it was affected by internal problems, such as poor relations between students and lecturers, high cost of education, etc. The university has since withheld students' activity assistance funds for the paper.

"Although we apply a 'cover-both-sides' principle, the bureaucracy still disagree. We have rejected their demands to supply draft copies of articles before publication," the student said.

But Viaduct is not alone. Many publications run by students across the country face similar obstacles.

Former chief editor of Didaktika, Epung Saifudin, confirmed that the magazine, which is run by students of the Jakarta State University (UNJ), confronted similar prohibitions.

"We often postpone publication due to lack of funds. We used to publish the magazine three times a year," said Epung, who is student of UNJ's political and social sciences department.

The universities' officials could not be contacted for immediate comment.

The winds of change, especially in terms of freedom of press, after the downfall of the authoritarian regime of Soeharto, have apparently not yet touched educational institutions.

Although there have been no reports of students actually being expelled for their writings in campus publications, such restrictions have caused concerns among some press freedom advocates.

Media observer Atmakusumah Astraatmaja called on officials of universities to give more freedom to their students in expressing their opinions.

"The student magazine is not aimed at maintaining the image of a university. It is a medium for students to learn journalism," the former chief of the Indonesian Press Council said.

Atmakusumah suggested that the universities facilitate training in journalism in order to improve students' skill in reporting and writing, instead of attempting to restrict them in expressing their opinions.

He proposed that the press council could mediate if a dispute arose between students and universities related to their opinions in the publications.

Despite the restrictions, students' enthusiasm for journalism and expressing their opinions through writing remains strong. More and more students, female and male, have been attracted to managing student publications despite funding difficulties.

Student publications often organize journalistic training to improve the skills of members of their editorial boards.

Marlon said his tabloid often invited alumni, including former chief editor of Suara Pembaruan daily, Cyprianus Aoer, who is now a legislator for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, to give training sessions.

Similarly, Epung said that many 'graduates' of Didaktika, who have since become professional journalists, also contribute their knowledge to their juniors.