UI rector defends his students' political rallies

UI rector defends his students' political rallies

DEPOK (JP): University of Indonesia (UI) rector Asman
Boedisantoso Ranakusuma maintained yesterday that political
rallies held by his students had not encroached on "practical
politics".

"I believe the protests held by UI students should be
considered 'high politics' because they are voicing the people's
aspiration," he said. "Unless they rally outside the campus no
one should feel anxious about their aspirations."

Asman made the remarks in response to questions from
journalists about comments made by Minister of Education and
Culture Wiranto Arismunandar who last week banned students from
being involved in practical political activities.

But Wiranto refused to define the kinds of activities which
could be defined as "practical politics", and said that it would
be up to the heads of individual campuses and local education
offices to determine.

Asman said his interpretation of the term was any efforts to
topple the government and push the interests of certain
individuals or groups.

"As long as UI students are not involved in practical
political activities I will tolerate the rallies," he told
reporters after the swearing-in ceremony of three rector's
assistants for the 1998/2002 term.

He brushed off suggestions that the rallies may have been
exploited by certain groups with their own agendas.

"I think the students have been expressing pure aspirations. I
have not located any intruders during the student protests."

Usman Chatib Warsa, assistant to the dean of the university's
School of Medicine, was installed as the rector's assistant for
academic affairs, replacing Asman, who was elected rector in
February.

Muhammad Nazif and Umar Mansur were both reinstalled as
assistant for financial and administrative affairs, and assistant
for student affairs respectively.

While Asman has permitted on-campus activities, he was adamant
it should not spill over onto the streets.

"If they march off the campus, there might be 'dark
passengers' who could join the rally." he said. "We (the
university) could no longer control the situation."

Asman also welcomed the invitation of Minister of Defense and
Security/Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto to open a
dialog with university students.

He said the students and the military could exchange views
over the current situation at the forum.

On Saturday, Wiranto reiterated that a planned dialog with
university students would be held sooner or later.

A dialog with the Armed Forces commander, organized by a group
of former student leaders from the 1966 generation, fell through
at the beginning of April after university students rejected the
invitation.

Gen. Wiranto himself pledged yesterday that security officials
would be patient in dealing with student protesters.

There have been physical clashes and people have been injured
in recent weeks as students attempted to take their protests to
the streets.

"ABRI officials will remain patient although the students pelt
them with stones," Wiranto said as quoted by the visiting
delegation of the Muhammadiyah Youths' organization.

The Muhammadiyah Youths' delegation, led by chairman
Hajriyanto Thohari, met the minister at his office on Jl. Merdeka
Barat in Central Jakarta.

Wiranto, however, reminded the students that they were not
allowed to conduct their protests outside the campus grounds.

"Who can guarantee that the students are free from a third
party's provocation?" he asked. "And who can also guarantee that
there will not be any violence while they are staging off-campus
demonstrations?" (ivy/imn)