Two conflicting groups involved in the Indonesian Arts Institute's (ISI) rectorial schism have appealed to the House of Representatives (DPR) for help, which held a hearing Tuesday on the matter.
Deadlocked mediations followed lengthy disputes at the provincial administrative level when two rectors were chosen by different voting procedures for the post.
One group consists of lecturers, staff and students who support Nyoman Catra, chosen in the March 5 rectorial elections. The other group backs Wayan Rai, the former rector who was selected in the Aug. 26 repeat elections. The two sides have brought the conflict to House Commission X, which oversees education.
The pro-Catra group, led by ISI professor Wayan Dibia, has invited provincial legislators -- including Made Arjaya and Made Arimbawa from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Dewa Nyoman Badra from the Democratic Party -- to get involved.
Wayan Kun Adnyana, a pro-Catra lecturer who took part in the Tuesday hearing, said the delegation had been received by members of Commission X led by legislator Mudjib Rohmat.
"After the hearing the commission agreed to invite the national education minister and all relevant parties soon to discuss the problem," Adnyana informed The Jakarta Post in a written statement Tuesday.
He said the pro-Catra group was quite optimistic after the hearing as they felt many legislators had shown them sympathy.
"Many of them said they finally understood why we keep insisting Nyoman Catra be installed as the new rector after hearing our explanation," he said.
The dispute over the rector's office started when Nyoman Catra was elected as ISI's new rector on March 5 this year, defeating the incumbent rector Wayan Rai. Rai derailed the transition process when he decided to organize yet another election.
Rai claimed the rectorial elections had to be restaged because he had received reports that some senate members, part of the group which had elected Catra months earlier, had not met administrative requirements, thus annulling all decisions the faculty senate had made, including the election of the new rector.
Many lecturers have stood opposed to Rai since those actions. They said they suspected Rai had called for the second round of elections because he wanted to retain the rector's post.
"The same faculty senate has been working for about four years. Many students have graduated based on our decisions. If Rai is consistent with his reasoning, he should also cancel all senate decisions, including the matriculation of dozens of our graduates. Why isn't he doing that?" Dibia, also a senate member, said to reporters recently.
Despite strong opposition, Rai insisted on organizing new rectorial elections on Aug. 26, first replacing all senate members who had voted against him. Rai managed to win a landslide victory over Nyoman Catra.
Commenting on the Commission X hearing, Made Suardana, one of Rai's lawyers, said Rai would abide by whatever decision the national educational minister were to make.
"Even if the minister supports Catra as the new rector, we will go along with that decision," he said. A hearing between the pro-Rai group and Commission X members is scheduled for Wednesday. -- JP/Dicky Christanto
