UI dissolves seminar to avoid campaign violations
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 06/16/2009 9:00 PM
University of Indonesia (UI) dissolved on Tuesday a national seminar featuring vice presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto for fear it would lead to a campaign and therefore violate the 2008 presidential election law.
The national seminar, themed “Education is the state's responsibility” was originally scheduled to take place at Sabha Widya Hall inside the UI campus in Depok, West Java, starting at 9 a.m.
But the event organizer from the Student Association of Jayabaya University moved the seminar to an auditorium at Pesona Kayangan housing complex, also in Depok, upon request of the UI rector office, tempointeraktif reported.
Moderator of the seminar, Iberamsjah, said UI had asked the organizer not to hold the event inside the campus.
The seminar coordinator, La Ode Karsid, expressed disappointment with the sudden dissolution.
“There were no campaign elements in the seminar. We invited other candidates, but only Prabowo who turned up,” Karsid said.
UI spokesperson Devie Rahmawati confirmed that the organizer had asked for a permit to hold the seminar a week ago but failed to mention speakers of the forum and details of the event.
“We immediately asked them to move the event as soon as we heard the organizer would request the speakers to sign a political contract,” Devie said. (ewd)
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