A university is a center of excellence where the best members of Indonesian society gather and study the phenomena of the world, understand the needs of the people, learn wisdom and sharpen their feelings of empathy.
A student at university should digest, think and look at everything, from the smallest perspective to the bigger picture. University students are considered, and are put, above average citizens in Indonesia.
Public freedom of expression, as guaranteed by the law, is one of the fundamental principles of democracy in Indonesia. Indonesia guarantees personal rights; people can talk, debate and criticize everything openly. The people show amazingly mature behavior and attitude.
The last presidential election and local district elections’ safe, secure and peaceful results were the perfect example of Indonesians’ understanding how to address the rainbow colors of national and local politics.
The essence of the freedom of expression, besides guaranteeing personal rights to express one’s feelings, also guarantees those of the greater entity, the Indonesian people. It is why the 1998 law, formulated and composed by our representatives, regulate on how its implementation will not transgress on other’s rights, laws, norms, accepted behaviors and agreed local wisdom.
Therefore, I was surprised when I saw two rallies orchestrated by universities students in Makassar and Jakarta recently. The students blocked the streets, burned tires, pelted stones at the police and, even worse, used bamboo sticks as lances.
What we should consider: did the students who participated in the events really have pro-people motives to orchestrate such a demonstration?
I am sure both the demonstrations in Makassar and Jakarta resulted in unbelievable economic losses. Thousands people stranded on the clogged streets striving to reach airports, offices and meetings.
Flights canceled or delayed. Thousands of business agreements failed to materialize.
I do believe that students will lead the transformation of Indonesia to be a better democratic country, but I also believe that undemocratic and violent ways are not the best formula to solve the problems of political affiliation differences, different ways of thinking and disparate viewpoints.
I believe that thousands of people are unhappy with this undemocratic and violent example by the students; maybe they were not current students at all, I don’t know.
I believe students have to stick to their goal of a democratization spirit if they are going to express their aspirations and political feelings.
I am sure the student maturity will be tested by the progress of very rapid environmental changes in the national political arena. Either students stand as a pure student movement to respond to the national situation, or as an affiliated and politically motivated student movement.
Believe me, the people are watching you.
Sulistyo Pudjo H.
Bandung
