Universities are too dependent: Scholars
Universities are too dependent: Scholars
By Gedsiri Suhartono
JAKARTA (JP): Political observers said yesterday that
universities, widely believed to be one of the last respectable
institutions in society, have become dependent and turned into
bureaucrats' tools.
Contacted separately by The Jakarta Post, I Made Supriyatna
from Yogyakarta-based Realino Studies Institute and Arbi Sanit
from University of Indonesia, said Indonesian universities were
no longer progressive. Instead, they are conservative and merely
sought proximity to the authorities.
"Universities have turned into bureaucratic institutions that
operate on obedience, loyalty and discipline," Arbi said. Lack of
political knowledge was one of the reasons why some rectors
viewed politically-sensitive issues raised by their students as
threats to their position.
"Upholding truth, honesty and openness is no longer on the
universities' agenda" Arbi said, adding that universities have
been totally "coopted" by the Ministry of Education and Culture.
"It's not just the military reshuffle that's interesting to
observe these days but also the rectors'," Supriyatna said,
referring to the way rectors give loyalty to their superiors in
exchange for position.
The observers were commenting on a recent finding of the
Center for Human Rights Studies that university chancellors came
second after security officers in violating people's rights.
The center studied rights violations that occurred between
January 1995 and March 1996, and found that more than 85 percent
of the detected 194 incidents were perpetrated by police
officers. The second in line, 23 cases, were perpetrated by
university rectors, while officials at provincial offices of
Social and Political Affairs came third with 18 offenses.
The offenses on campuses were mostly in the form of bans on
speeches and gatherings, which are against the students' civil
rights.
"It's an old tune," Supriyatna said. Arbi concurred.
Both scholars praised the center for its study, calling it
innovative and a true assessment of the rights violations that
might have otherwise gone undetected.
According to Supriyatna, over the past 30 years, the
government has exerted strict control over the urban middle class
-- specifically those aged between 20 and 30.
Given such restrictions, Arbi said, Indonesian universities
were not preparing their students to be leaders and intellectuals
but only narrow-minded workers.
"We are producing exactly the opposite of the quality of human
resources needed to face the 21st century, namely workers who
only obey and follow orders," Arbi said.
A different perspective was given yesterday by Muhammad
Budyatna, dean of University of Indonesia's School of Social and
Political Sciences.
Budyatna said he disagreed with the Center's conclusions
because the methodologies applied in the study did not consider
the working mechanisms of universities which puts rectors in a
difficult position.
"Rectors have to be the bridge between the government and the
students. Their positions are easily jeopardized," Budyatna said.
"Those who are inclined to defend the government's interests
should not be rectors."
Besides, human rights violations should not be narrowly
translated as "limiting freedom of expression" because exercising
one's rights does not necessarily mean criticizing the
government, he said.
"Being rectors nowadays is extremely difficult. If one is not
strong enough then shouldn't be a rector," he said.
Sastrapratedja, rector of Sanata Dharma University in
Yogyakarta, said he had yet to read the Center's findings but
questioned the study's methodology.
He said when he thinks about rights violations, "what comes to
mind is the severity of the consequences, such as death, fear,
depression."
"I don't think that has ever happened in universities," he
said.