The current “communist panic” amongst Indonesian authorities has seen many officials speaking up in favor of censorship. But we are also starting to see a strong pushback from various parts of Indonesian society who refuse to allow intellectual freedom to be compromised due to government paranoia. In addition to academics arguing that they have to be free to teach their students about leftist ideologies as part of their education, students are also raising their voices against the government’s actions.
Lingkar Mahasiswa Indonesia di Luar Negeri (Indonesian Students Abroad Network), is an academic association consisting of 123 Indonesian students studying in 25 countries. In a press release from the group distributed on Monday, they urged President Joko Widodo to do his duty as the head of Indonesia and protect the rights of citizens to live both free from fear and with free access to knowledge.
“The president should stop using repressive state tools that do not follow the rule of law,” the students wrote in the release, which was picked up by Tempo.
The group specifically cited the recent rise in government censorship of discussions, film screenings, theater performances and books by security forces in the country.
“It is taking place in a way that is massive, systematic, and sudden,” said Roy Thaniago, one of the students who signed the statement. “The incidents have been accompanied by arrests and intimidation against individuals and groups who use attributes which have unilaterally been interpreted as promoting communism,” he said.
The release blasted the government’s actions especially in regards to how it was denying citizens free access to information in a way that is arguably illegal.
“It is a form of anti-intellectualism. In our assessment these practices constitute unlawful acts as they disregard the civil rights protected by the constitution of the Republic of Indonesia,” they wrote.
The student said such practices could be interpreted as a form of state terrorism against Indonesian citizens, since it clearly has the potential to create a sense of insecurity in the ways people can discuss and even think about certain ideas.
“A sense of security, especially secure access to knowledge, is an absolutely necessary prerequisite to the progress of a nation,” Roy said.
As the students point out, the state is obligated to ensure the security of its citizens, including in thought and speech.
“That guarantee is already stated in Article 28F of the 1945 Constitution,” they wrote.
Hopefully their letter will reach President Jokowi and their powerful arguments will have an impact on how he decides to handle this situation. But even if not, it is good to see Indonesian students so ready to fight for intellectual freedom, just like their predecessors.
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