Warring parties told to end exploitation of SMP 56 students

Warring parties told to end exploitation of SMP 56 students

Damar Harsanto
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Responding to the prolonged dispute over a controversial land
swap deal involving SMP 56 state junior high school on Jl.
Melawai Raya in South Jakarta, the City Council called on all
related parties to stop using the students as "their shields".

"Please, stop exploiting the students," councillor Ahmad
Heryawan of the Justice Party faction told reporters on
Wednesday. "Now they don't have access to standard education as
they are not studying in a normal classroom with an adequate
number of teachers".

A total of 64 students started to study on the street on
Monday after the city public order officers occupied the school
building on Sunday, which is located near Pasaraya department
store and prevented anyone from entering the compound.

One student, identified as Yani, was forcibly taken by a
teacher to nearby SMP 12, around 250 meters from the school,
early on Wednesday. Lies Sugeng from the school committee said
that many students' parents witnessed the incident.

SMP 12 is being offered as an alternative school for the 64
students to continue their studies after the building was taken
over. The city administration had earlier offered the new SMP 56
school in Jeruk Purut, South Jakarta to the students.

"They can move to other schools, including SMP 12 and the
administration will take care of all the administrative
procedures involved in the transfer," Heryawan said.

He alleged that some parties were using the students to
further their own interests.

The dispute started in 2000 when the Ministry of National
Education and developer PT Tata Disantara, owned by former
manpower minister Abdul Latief, signed a land swap deal. Two
school buildings in Jeruk Purut and Bintaro, both in South
Jakarta, were exchanged for the property in Melawai.

The parents and teachers suspected corruption and therefore
filed a civil suit against the deal with the South Jakarta
District Court. The court rejected the suit and the parents and
teachers are awaiting a ruling from the Jakarta High Court.

Heryawan encouraged the parents and teachers to pursue their
case through legal channels, but asked them to put the needs of
the students first.

"Let the students choose which school they want to go to so
they can continue their studies," he said.

The dispute also attracted the attention of the House of
Representatives Commission VI on human resources and religious
affairs, which will summons Governor Sutiyoso, minister Abdul
Malik Fajar and Latief for clarification.

Legislators from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P) even visited the site on Wednesday.

At City Hall, Sutiyoso claimed he was ready for to be
summoned.

"When I am summoned, I will come. I have no problem with
that."