Amid a growing wave of resistance from civil society groups over the perceived meddling of authorities ahead of the 2024 general election, various members of academia have reported alleged intimidation from the police to serve up pro-government counternarratives.

Particularly, the National Police has been accused of launching “silent operations” geared toward offsetting the chorus of criticism from dozens of universities and academic groups demanding an honest and fair election.

Allegations first emerged after Ferdinandus Hindarto, the rector of the Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang, Central Java, said he was asked to record a testimony praising the government of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, by individuals claiming to be policemen.

The request, made on the Whatsapp messaging service, came after his university and others grouped under the Association of Catholic Universities (APTIK) issued a statement raising concerns about the lack of impartiality of Jokowi and other state officials ahead of the polls.

Ferdinandus told the press this week that he rejected the request, insisting that campuses must remain neutral in the election to allow students and faculty to decide for themselves how to vote.

Hardiwinoto, vice rector of the Semarang Muhammadiyah University, experienced a similar encounter, saying that he had been visited by two officers of the Tembalang Police Precinct who asked him to record a statement of praise.

“The officers recorded me with their smartphones praising the achievements of the Jokowi administration. After that, they sent me a link to my statement that had been widely circulated,” he told the Tempo daily.

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