Syafei, whistle-blower at STPDN

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

The national controversy over the violent initiation program that claimed the life of an STPDN (Public Administration Institute) student has catapulted a name into the spotlight: Inu Kencana Syafei.

Before the debate erupted, following the death of freshman Wahyu Hidayat, 20, last month, Inu was "nobody" but a teacher at STPDN, a college for would-be civil bureaucrats, which adopts a military-style initiation program.

After the freshman's death stirred national outrage, Inu has often been seen speaking to journalists, criticizing STPDN's initiation procedures and disclosing what he sees as "decadence" within STPDN, a college under the charge of the home ministry.

Syafei never dreamed that he would one day be hounded by journalists. Nor, did he ever anticipate armed plainclothes policemen protecting him wherever he goes.

"It is all beyond my imagination," said Syafei, who was born on June 14, 1952 in Denpasar, Bali.

He lives within the STPDN housing compound at Jatinangor - Sumedang road, some 20 km to the east of downtown Bandung with his wife Trisia Indah Prasetiati and three children, after moving here from Papua.

He gave up his position as secretary of the Regional Development Planning Board of Yapen Waropen regency in Papua and started teaching at STPDN in 1990.

Becoming a teacher was his passion. After some time in the profession, he began to consider that ethical behavior was as important to teach the students as the curriculum.

"When I first joined STPDN, I only thought that I could share my knowledge with the students and promote virtue among them. Later, I found out that the students' delinquency became uncontrollable, because of the poor system of punishment," he noted.

Syafei believes that the tradition of seniors punishing juniors had gone too far as this practice had caused injuries and even death. Physical punishment, originally intended to instill discipline, had degenerated into an opportunity for vengeance, according to him.

"This is torture. When I was a student at the home ministry training college (APDN) Jayapura in 1976-1979, physical punishments, like push-ups or a slap in the face were meted out with a clear reason. This was intended to enforce discipline and (the punishment) was given to me because I had done something wrong.

"But now a senior makes up an excuse to be able to punish his junior. He also tortures his junior to ensure that the junior will not disclose his bad conduct," he said.

On May 12, 2003 Syafei filed report with the police -- the case of Jurinata, 20, a second-year student from Sampit, Central Kalimantan tortured by three seniors from the same province.

Jurinata's parents in Sampit said the medical treatment of their son had cost them Rp 30 million. Jurinata had been hit and kicked by his seniors until his eardrums were broken and his genitals bled. He was allegedly tortured after he found the three seniors drunk at the dorm.

Unfortunately, some STPDN officials managed to pressure Syafei and Jurinata to withdraw their complaint to the Jatinangor police precinct. However, Syafei raised the issue publicly in the advent of Wahyu Hidayat's death.

Syafei said campus officials had always sought an amicable settlement between the torturers' families and the victims', therefore not involving the police.

But such cases of violence seem to have climaxed with the death of Wahyu Hidayat.

"I hope the death of Wahyu Hidayat will be the last case and that it will lead to the abolition of violent practices here," he noted.

Syafei said he has heard a lot of complaints from STPDN students, who visit his residence at the back of the 280-hectare campus to report on the improper treatment they received from their seniors.

Actually, Syafei is only one of many lecturers who leaked such stories to the mass media -- but the others insisted on the condition of anonymity. He is also the only one who has filed a complaint to the police.

The campus of STPDN was built in 1989 at a cost of over Rp 75 billion and was actually intended to house 3,000 students or 750 students per level. The autonomy era has increased the demand for civil bureaucrats in the regions. Today 30 dorm barracks are occupied by 4,230 students.

Syafei's accounts of alleged criminal behavior, drug use, sexual harassment and violence have been strongly denied by high- ranking officials of the institute and students suspected to have taken part in such incidents.

He said he had received death threats and had his promotion postponed due to his criticism and disclosures. He added he had written 26 books, most are about political science and social sciences.

He began to receive death threats -- and also threats to kill members of his family -- when private television station SCTV repeatedly aired footage of how senior students hit and kicked their juniors in a ceremony, for the latter to acquire an emblem for the institute's marching band.

"As I made quite a few statements about STPDN, there is the suspicion that I have also given this recording to SCTV. In fact, I don't have this recording," he said.

As he thought he could not face the threats alone, he went to the House of Representatives and the police on Sept. 23, to ask for protection. Now, plainclothes policemen tail him wherever he goes.

Syafei said he had done all this out of his love for STPDN and not because, as has been alleged, he had an ulterior motive. He said he did not want to see his students become bad role models when they eventually served the public.

Now that various leaders have expressed their concern over what happened at STPDN and the home ministry has temporarily taken charge of the management of STPDN, Syafei cannot conceal his feeling of guilt. "I feel guilty because I did not disclose these disgraceful things much earlier," he said.