University bans campus campaigning

University bans campus campaigning

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

The University of North Sumatra (USU) announced on Tuesday that
it would not allow any political party to use its campus for
campaigning ahead of the upcoming elections.

Mass campaigning or that via meetings are banned, the
university's senate said.

USU leaders said the decision was made to maintain the USU's
political neutrality and to avoid the possibility of clashes in
the campus.

A member of the senate, Jhon Tafbu Ritonga, who is a deputy
rector for student affairs, said the decision to prohibit
political parties from campaigning in the USU campus was final.

It was unanimously agreed upon by all members of the senate in
a recent meeting, he said.

"About 100 senate members supported the move to ban political
campaigning in the campus. We shall stick to our decision," Jhon
told The Jakarta Post.

He said the ban was in line with suggestions by USU professors
for their campus not to be used as an arena for political
campaigning.

According to the professors, political campaigning in the
campus would not benefit higher learning institutions but instead
could create new problems because politicians -- whether or not
corrupt -- would take advantage of the campus to present a
"cleansed" version of themselves.

"If we were to allow political campaigning in the campus,
every legislative candidate who passed screening by the General
Elections Committee (KPU) could campaign here, while, at the same
time, university students across Indonesia are campaigning
against unscrupulous politicians.

"This is a problem because we cannot allow politicians to
campaign in campuses. It could spark conflicts of interest," said
Jhon.

North Sumatra General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman
Irham Buana Nasution commented that the decision for USU to ban
political campaigns on its campus was its prerogative.

The decision should be respected by all political parties, he
added.

Even though the elections law allows parties to campaign in
campuses, Irham said, state or private universities had their own
right to ban such political events.

Elections Law No. 12/2003 and KPU Regulation No. 701/2001 on
campaigning stipulate that campuses may host political campaigns
ahead of general elections.

"The KPU cannot do anything if the USU has decided to ban
campaigning from its campus. We accept that if the decision is
already final, we should respect it. We have handed over the
entire mechanism to universities," Irham said.

Political parties are scheduled to engage in campaigning from
March 11 to April 1, four days before Indonesia holds general
elections to select legislative candidates.