Yogyakarta –
A number of students, lecturers and alumni of the Department of Politics and Government (DPP Fisipol Universitas Gadjah Madah (UGM) made a statement regarding the current political situation. They then asked the Minister of State Secretariat (Mensesneg) Pratikno and the President’s Special Staff Coordinator (Stafsus), Ari Dwipayana to ‘going home’ back to the path of democracy.
Representative of the DPP Fisipol UGM, Faris Rubiansyah, said that they gathered because there was a situation where there was an attempt to harm democracy for the sake of their personal and group interests.
“And what is even more unfortunate is that there are DPP academics who are in the vortex of power,” said Rubiansyah to journalists, Monday (12/2/2024).
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Rubiansyah continued, currently democracy in Indonesia is experiencing a decline, 20 years since its existence.
“Today, in the midst of the 2024 General Election, we see that democracy is on the verge of death. The people are being treated to a series of acts of ethical deviance,” he said.
Pratikno-Ari Dwipayana Considered Responsible for the Damage to Democracy
Rubiansyah said that the current decline in democracy was caused by many actors. He emphasized that Pratikno and Ari Dwipayana were also responsible.
“After a wave of petitions from universities, we feel that there is a sublime conflict between academics and the regime. And unfortunately our academic community is also in the vortex of that conflict,” he said.
“This is not the fault of Pak Tik and Mas Ari alone. However, we are aware, however, that our two teachers have become part of the nation’s problems,” he continued.
He explained that both Pratikno and Ari were academics, teachers, colleagues and friends who taught democracy in the classroom. Unfortunately, in his view, in the end the democracy they taught was not in line with their practice.
For this reason, Rubiansyah, who represented the DPP Fisipol UGM, apologized to all Indonesian citizens.
“Therefore, the entire extended family of the DPP academic community (Department of Politics and Government, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UGM) expresses our deepest apologies for what happened these days and involves our academic community,” said Rubiansyah.
Students, lecturers and alumni of the Department of Politics and Government, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UGM, delivered a statement regarding the condition of democracy today at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UGM, Monday (12/2/2024). Photo: Long Day Wawan S/detikJogja
Call Pratikno-Ari Dwipayana ‘Go Home’
Rubiansyah also called on Pratikno and Ari Dwipayana to ‘go home’. Return to being an academic and a pillar of democracy.
“Today we cry together, come back home. Come back with those left behind, the oppressed, the marginalized. Come back to democracy, and come back to teach us with words and deeds,” said Rubiansyah in a firm tone.
Meanwhile, Head of DPP Fisipol UGM Abdul Gaffar Karim, who was also present at the action, said that today’s activity was a form of political concern. Campuses, he said, have an obligation to balance and control power.
“What these fellow students did was a form of that control. But they also expressed something specific, namely their longing for their two lecturers to return to democracy. What I understand is that of course returning to being an academic is returning to political control and power,” Gaffar said.
He continued, this action was also a response to the news that Pratikno and Ari were described as actors who engineered a number of political steps.
“They responded to reports in the media which specifically mentioned two members of the DPP who media reports described as part of an effort to engineer a number of political moves. This created a sense of unease within the DPP,” said Gaffar.
He agreed with the students who asked Pratikno and Ari to return to campus and return to the path of democracy. He also asked Pratikno and Ari to focus on their duties as part of the government.
“There are only 2 days left before the election, I think the best thing for them to do is maintain neutrality first, withdraw from all winning roles, support candidates, carry out tasks that must be carried out as part of the government system,” said Gaffar.
Watch the video ‘UGM Social and Political Sciences Students Disappointed with Pratikno: Politics Changes People’s Character’:
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