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View all search resultsProtect the ivory tower
For much of Indonesia's modern history, right from the moment when STOVIA, the country’s first medical school set up by the Dutch colonial government became the training ground for Indonesia’s nationalist leaders, up through the current day as students voice their opposition against government policies from campus halls, higher education institutions have always been an integral part of Indonesian politics.
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UGM academicians, students and anti-corruption activists pose for a group photo in front of the campus' Balairung hall after reading out a joint statement to save the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). (JP/Sri Wahyuni)
T
he term ivory tower is used to refer to higher education institutions, often in a pejorative tone, for their maintenance of a boundary between academic discourse and the practical realities of everyday life.
That term does not, and has never, aligned with the reality of universities in Indonesia.
For much of Indonesia's modern history, right from the moment when STOVIA, the country’s first medical school set up by the Dutch colonial government became the training ground for Indonesia’s nationalist leaders, up through the current day as students voice their opposition against government policies from campus halls, higher education institutions have always been an integral part of Indonesian politics.
While activists from some less reputable colleges admitted to have accepted bribes from politicians—in return for their willingness to tone down their criticism of government policies—student leaders from reputable universities continued to be leading voices in calling for government accountability.
In recent years, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) student council chairman Tiyo Ardiyanto gained the reputation as an ardent critic of President Prabowo Subiyanto administration with his statement on the president’s signature policies going viral.
In the past few weeks, a University of Indonesia (UI) medical school student, Fathimah Azzahra, who now serves as deputy chair of the university’s student council, has entered the spotlight for making bold statements criticizing the president’s signature free nutritious meal program.
It should come as no surprise that this caliber of student leaders is emerging from UGM and UI, two leading higher education institutions that have long upheld the tradition of student activism.
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