UI students sue rector over suspensions

JAKARTA (JP): Six University of Indonesia students who were suspended for staging a rally protesting against additional college fees, filed a lawsuit at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) against the University's rector on Thursday.

Speaking at the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), one of the students, Dhoho A. Sastro, said the suit was filed to demand the revocation of the rector's decision No. 266/2000 concerning their suspension.

"We are also demanding damages of Rp 5 million (US$526). If we win, the award will be donated to students who need scholarships," said Dhoho, a student in the university's law school who was suspended for one year by the university.

Dhoho claimed that the lawsuit was filed as the university had rejected the students' attempts to initiate a dialog over the suspensions.

He said the university had demanded that the students apologize for staging the rally in February if they wanted their suspensions to be lifted.

"We refuse to apologize for holding a rally. It's our right," he said, adding that the lawsuit was aimed at teaching a lesson to the public, especially, students, that they could fight against authoritarian actions.

He said the suspensions, which were handed down in November and were signed by Asman Budi Santoso, were based on the university's 1996 internal regulations.

Dhoho charged that the regulations were drawn up during the New Order era which tried to stifle student protests.

The students were suspended for between one and two semesters for protesting against the university's decision to levy an extra educational fee under the Quality of Education Improvement Fund.

Beginning in 1999, students enrolled at the university must pay an extra fee on top of the Rp 500,000 (US$52) tuition fee paid each semester.

The extra fee is Rp 1 million for students of the School of Engineering and the School of Mathematics and Exact Sciences, and Rp 750,000 for students of the School of Social Sciences.

LBH's assistant director Surya Tjandra described the suspensions as being an uneducative way of punishing the students.

"It's too much since the students, whose duty it is to study, should be allowed to continue with their studies," Surya said, adding that the students could be forced to drop out of the university if their suspensions were not lifted.

He further accused the university's rector, as a government official in charge of an educational institution, of having violated the principles of good governance as set out in Law No. 5/1986 on the Administrative Court. (jun)