Board freezes UI rector’s financial authority

In the latest salvo of the ongoing internal conflict within the University of Indonesia (UI), the university’s Board of Trustees said that it will issue letters ordering banks to reject all financial transaction requests that were signed by Rector Gumilar Rosliwa Somantri.

Previously, the Board of Trustees on Wednesday officially announced Gumilar as no longer holding his post as the UI rector as it deemed him to be “violating his initial commitments” in the conduct of his duties as rector.

The Board of Trustees’ secretary Damona K. Poespawardaja told The Jakarta Post that the letters would be distributed on Friday morning to several banks that serve as the university’s banking and financial transaction partners.

“Under these letters, [Gumilar] will not be able to perform financial transactions under the name of UI,” Damona said on Thursday.

Following the issuance of the letters, all of the university’s financial transactions should be signed by a team of five officials whom the Board of Trustees planned to appoint Friday, she said.

Damona, however, refused to disclose the officials who would temporary fill the void left by Gumilar.

Separately, Ade Armando, a UI lecturer and Save UI activist who has close ties with the Board of Trustees, told the Post on Thursday that the five officials who will temporarily replace Gumilar were UI vice rector M. Anis, former UI rectors Usman Chatib Warsa and Asman Budi Santoso, as well as professors Biran Affandi, and Didit Nugroho. (sat)