Yogyakarta, Hilton News –
Chairman of the Student Executive Board (BEM) of Yogyakarta State University or UNY, Farras Raihan (21) admitted that he received threats or intimidation from his campus allegedly for criticizing the policy on the determination of single tuition fees (UKT).
The 2021 Vocational Faculty student felt intimidated in the form of the revocation of the Bidikmisi scholarship or what is now referred to as the College Smart Indonesia Card Scholarship (KIPK).
Farras has sniffed out a ‘bad label’ from campus since the local student alliance invited the UNY academic community to participate in a wave of protests by various universities in Indonesia, criticizing the democratic situation during the administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), ahead of the 2024 elections. Although, he said the agenda was disbanded.
“Maybe it was a trigger, branding that I and the deputy chairman of BEM, people who are problematic, or vocal or like to criticize,” Farras said when met at the Indonesian Ombudsman Office of DIY Representative, Sleman, Monday (20/5).
Farras conveyed that BEM then criticized campus policies after the rectorate issued a decree determining the amount of UKT on April 7, 2024. At that time, he and his colleagues made a poll plus a study that objected to tuition rates for new students.
The threat to revoke the scholarship was obtained when Farras and his deputy, Ammar Raihan, 21, went to one of the officials in student affairs to consult on the BEM program on April 16, 2024. Halfway through the discussion, their interlocutor suddenly discussed something out of context. A statement that was considered intimidative at that time was delivered with a high intonation.
“It’s a consultation, that’s how (asked) you got a scholarship, don’t mas, ask me, I answered, get sir. Starting from there, (saying) yes if you get a scholarship from the government, yes you don’t have to protest to campus, to the state, you are like being funded by the state, why even protest,” Farras said mimicking the conversation at that time.
Farras can actually argue, but he chooses to just be a listener because he avoids debate. The figure, he said, also threw threats to Ammar, deputy chairman of BEM UNY to raise the UKT group concerned to the highest level if they continue to be vocal about government or campus policies.
Not stopping there, a day after Farras attended a public hearing (RDPU) with Commission X of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia at the parliamentary complex, Jakarta, Thursday (16/5), he was summoned by the dean.
The dean, he said, questioned him why he conveyed the situation of the increase in UKT at UNY, as well as the response of the campus in responding to student protests.
“It’s questionable, how come the audience is not permitted, how come you are too vocal for the UKT study. The second is more questionable, why are you bad-mouthing the campus. Even though I just convey the condition of UNY is like this against the increase in existing UKT, “he said.
Farras said he spoke before the legislature in the hope that the people’s representatives would be able to become a mouthpiece for aspirations. This is because whenever BEM speaks to campus, it is always answered with a ‘central policy’. After facing the dean, Farras was directed to give an explanation directly to the rector but it has not been carried out.
Farras received news that before he was called, there was a head of BEM Faculty of Vocational Studies UNY who was first questioned by the dean. After that, the head of BEM Vocational delivered a message via WhatsApp in which the dean essentially challenged Farras to resign if he could not accept campus policies.
“(The dean) questioned (to the Vocational BEM) about me, now the dean conveyed through the head of the Vocational BEM earlier the threats to be challenged out (resign) from UNY because higher education is tertiary and so on,” he explained.
Weird, I brush you!
Meanwhile, Ammar felt intimidated when he single-handedly consulted the BEM program with UNY’s student affairs expert staff on May 13, 2024. He said that the BEM program proposed to partner with external parties was rejected a lot. In fact, so far BEM has also not received funding from the campus for any of its activities.
“There was also said, ‘Mas, if you are weird, I brush you’,” Ammar said, mimicking the dialogue at that time.
“The diction has always been like that, repeatedly, if you are weird I brush, I have known this BEM since 2016 until now. I already know everything, if you are weird I brush you guys,” continued the engineering student.
The arrival of Farras and Ammar to ORI DIY is not only to complain about alleged bullying by the campus, but also to convey how UKT for new students on campus has skyrocketed. According to him, students in the determination process are not involved. Instead, they are prohibited from questioning the clarity or transparency of its use.
This increase in UKT is said to make many parents of students anxious because they cannot afford their children’s tuition. In addition to the skyrocketing amount of tuition, they also said that there was an increase in the UKT group for new UNY students from the original 7 groups to 10 groups since the issuance of Permendikbudristek Number 2 of 2024.
The addition of this group is accompanied by a nominal increase in each group. At the UNY Vocational Faculty, the highest or group 10 reaches Rp14 million.
The matter of the increase in UKT has been discussed with the campus which is said to tend not to be open and only explains the increase in UKT triggered by inflation.
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