Student Claims External Pressure Led to UI Conference Cancellation

A planned 'Republican Conference' at the University of Indonesia (UI) campus in Salemba, Jakarta, was suddenly canceled just one day before its scheduled date, sparking accusations of external interference.

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The campus was called many times by external parties.

Razaan Bayu Rachman, a student representative on UI's Board of Trustees, stated that the university received numerous calls from external parties in the days leading up to the event. While he could not identify these external actors or confirm if they explicitly demanded the cancellation, he believes their concerns about the conference's perceived 'mass consolidation' and 'strong political elements' led to the ban.

The conference, organized by the Republican Conference committee in collaboration with the UI Student Trustees, was intended to be a national consolidation event. According to Razaan, the organizing committee had followed proper procedures, submitting permit requests to Ventura FKUI the previous week and receiving a positive initial response. They even received a letter of assignment three days prior, which they interpreted as campus approval.

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They didn't specifically ask for that. But it was implicit. I suspect external parties were uneasy because it was considered mass consolidation and had strong political elements.

However, the situation changed dramatically the day before the event. Razaan reported receiving calls late at night, indicating uncertainty about the event's status. By 11 p.m., the cancellation was confirmed. Razaan suggested that UI Rector Heri Hermansyah himself did not oppose the event but was pressured due to the external inquiries. He asserted that the intervention came from external entities targeting UI, not from within the campus administration.

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The Rector of UI only questioned it because he received many questions from outside parties.

Despite the cancellation at the UI campus, the organizers have decided to proceed with the conference, moving the discussions online via Zoom. The incident has drawn criticism from organizers who regret the external pressure, suggesting that the event's symbolism of societal gathering may have unsettled certain parties.

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So I emphasize that there was no intervention from the campus. But from external parties to UI.