Students represent a moral force

Students represent a moral force

From Media Indonesia

Recent students' rallies remind us of what happened two years
ago when similar rallies staged by university students toppled a
regime which had "controlled" this country for over 32 years,
giving birth to a reform drive based on the students' six-point
vision of reform. The country, then vastly devastated, began to
be rebuilt. Learning from our past experience must make us more
cautious in addressing what the government has done in the
current situation. Unfortunately, the government's effort to put
things right has yet to bring about significant changes.

Many cases are still waiting to be resolved and some have even
been shelved. None of the items in the reform agenda have been
translated into reality. If things are allowed to go on
unchecked, Indonesia is doomed, something that none of us would
be happy to see.

In this respect, as the pillar of the nation, the students
naturally consider themselves responsible for cleaning up the
mess. The alleged scandals better known as Buloggate and
Bruneigate call for proper legal settlement, the success of which
will be the yardstick for the success of the present government,
especially in enforcing and upholding the supremacy of the law.

The students rely on morality and intellectualism, not on
muscle. They constitute a moral force who will not deal a
physical blow to those who disagree with them. They will not
resort to anarchy. They realize anarchy will never solve problems
but will, instead, give rise to conflicts that will alarm the
public.

Students are more than just agents of change; they direct, in
a responsible manner, changes toward better social conditions.

ARIE YUDHA

Bogor, West Java