Sudirman Said Calls Criticism From Higher Education Cannot Be Ignored

Deputy Captain of the AMIN National Team, Sudirman Said (right), during an activity in Kebumen Regency, Central Java, Wednesday (7/2/2024). (ANTARA/HO-Timnas AMIN)

JAKARTA - Deputy National Team (Timnas) for Winning Anies-Muhaimin (AMIN), Sudirman Said, said that criticism issued by a number of universities related to the condition of the country should not be ignored by the government.

Dalam Sarasehan Rakyat di GOR Mahkota Graha, Kabupaten Kebumen, Jawa Tengah, Sudirman mengatakan kekhawatiran yang disampaikan para academia dan guru besar dari berbagai perguruan tinggi itu seharus dilihat sebagai peringatan atau alarm tanda bahaya, guna menyelamatkan bangsa Indonesia dari oknum yang ingin menggerus demokrasi.

"Like cars, warnings from academics and professors are mirrors, lighting, speedometers, and brakes. If you ignore the voices of the scholars, it is the same as removing the control equipment one by one," said Sudirman in a written statement reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, February 7.

Sudirman also hopes that the authorities will not clog the aspirations of the current developing intellectuals, because it is not a threat but a form of concern. He likens aspirations like water. If the aspirations are fulfilled, then they will find a way out everywhere.

"If the water continues to be dammed, it will seep or leak everywhere. If the dam is not strong, it will break down," he explained.

He also hopes that the government will receive input, aspirations, and concerns from the academics and professors. According to Sudirman, their voices were purely to save the Indonesian nation and state.

Meanwhile, statements of criticism regarding the condition of the state and the implementation of elections in Indonesia have continued to be carried out by academics from a number of universities in the country in recent times.

Academics from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Yogyakarta, Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) Yogyakarta, and Universitas Kristen Indonesia (UKI) have delivered statements and criticisms to election organizers and President Joko Widodogar to be neutral during the 2024 General Election.