TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Critics slam med school head dismissal, demand his reinstatement
Constitutional law experts have slammed the recent dismissal of Budi Santoso from his post as medical school dean at Airlangga University in East Java, calling it to be a violation of the 1945 Constitution and evidence that academic freedom in the country is in tatters.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Young physicians hold posters during a demonstration on July 4, 2024, in front of Airlangga University's medical school in Surabaya, East Java. During the protest, which was also attended by professors and other academics on campus, they demanded that university rector Mohammad Nasih reinstate Budi Santoso as the dean of the school so he could complete his term. Budi was dismissed after disagreeing with the Health Ministry's plan to invite foreign doctors to practice in Indonesia. (Antara/Didik Suhartono)
C
onstitutional law experts have slammed the recent dismissal of Budi Santoso from his post as medical school dean at Airlangga University in East Java, calling it a violation of the 1945 Constitution and evidence that academic freedom in the country was in tatters.
Budi was allegedly sacked by the university’s rector, Mohammad Nasih, earlier this month for publicly opposing the Health Ministry’s plan to bring in foreign doctors as a solution for medical staff shortages across the country.
While both Airlangga University and the Health Ministry denied the accusation, critics have pointed to Budi’s removal as evidence of shrinking civic space and compromised academic freedom. The ministry claimed previously that it had no authority regarding the dismissal.
In response to the event, a group of 25 constitutional law experts, including Brawijaya University law school dean Aan Eko Widiarto as well as notable academics Bivitri Susanti and Feri Amsari, said Budi’s dismissal violated Article 28 of the 1945 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression, and the 2012 University Law ensuring academic freedom.
Read also: Med school head dismissal raises alarm on worsening academic freedom
“The rector of Airlangga University has gone against the Constitution [...] It is wrong to interpret [Budi’s] thoughts and opinion as opposition to the university’s leadership, particularly since they were expressed in an academic forum,” the group said in a statement released on Sunday.
The group also noted that the dismissal had some procedural failures as it violated several prevailing regulations, including the 2014 law on government administration, a 2020 government regulation on civil servants, as well as the university’s own policy that states a dean can only be dismissed if their term ends, they die, become ill, resign, continue their studies elsewhere or violate the law.
