Nasir Gabra, Lhokseumawe – A demonstration launched by hundreds of Malikussaleh Lhokseumawe University (Unimal) students almost ended in a clash with police when they pushed and shoved each other as students tried to break through the gates of the North Aceh Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) on Thursday February 2.
Earlier, the students had sat quietly presenting speeches in front of the gate. The were demanding that the DPRD’s special committee looking into corruption at the Unimal Rectorate immediately announce the results of the team’s finding to the public.
“Several times the special committee has promised it would announce [its] corruption findings at Unimal, but to this day they have not fulfilled this”, asserted Idris, one of the students.
In the end he said, the special committed promised it would hold a hearing on January 31 to announce its findings. Because there was no hearing, on January 1 [should read February 1 – JB] student representatives again went to see the special committee. “Nothing came out of the meeting, so today we brought the students to demonstrate”, said Sofyan, a former secretary of the Unimal Student Executive Council.
The students are now even accusing a member of the North Aceh DPRD of also benefiting from corruption at Unimal. It is because of this they say, that the investigation by the special committee has dragged on and the impression is that they are reluctant to explain their findings to the public.
“We are truly deplore this, [they are] the people that should control corruption, collusion and nepotism, but they still have the mentality of rats”, shouted a student activist though a megaphone.
Initially he said, the special committee had found indications of financial irregularities at Unimal. This included a greening project on the new Reuleut campus valued at 330 million rupiah, a bridge construction project and a campus ring road costing 571 million rupiah, as well as indications of the embezzlement of scholarship funds for 5,000 students budgeted at 500,000 rupiah per student.
“Not only that, there are still many indications of the corruption of other funds at Unimal that must be explained by the special committee. But the special committee remains silent”, he said.
In a statement the students called on the National Education Minister not to issue an instruction for the inauguration of the newly elected Unimal rector until the various corruption cases are dealt with legally.
The coordinator of the DPRD’s special team, Ridwan Yunus, explained to the students that they have hold a plenary session before being able to announce the team’s findings to the public. In order to do this there are specific procedures that have to be followed and this requires time. He asked the students therefore to be patient. [dzie]\
[Translated by James Balowski.]
