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)