"The presentation of the award is very embarrassing and degrading the Indonesian nation. Moreover, the presentation of the award was done not at UI but in Saudi Arabia," Thamrin Amal Tamagola, a lecturer at the university`s department of social and p
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A number of lecturers of state University of Indonesia (UI) and non-governmental organization activists have voiced a protest against the awarding of an honorary degree to Saudi Arabian King Abdullah by the university recently.

"The presentation of the award is very embarrassing and degrading the Indonesian nation. Moreover, the presentation of the award was done not at UI but in Saudi Arabia," Thamrin Amal Tamagola, a lecturer at the university`s department of social and political sciences, said when reading out the protest statement at the parliament building here on Friday.

The statement was read in the presence of a number of UI lecturers such as Saparina Sadli, Taufik Bahauddin and Effendi Ghazali as well as activists from NGOs such as Anis Hidayah from Migrant Care and Agus Pambagio from the Indonesian Consumers Protection Foundation (YLKI).

Thamrin said the decision of UI Rector Gumilar Rusliwa Somantri to give the honorary degree to the Saudi King was never discussed before with the board of professors.

"The rector has embarrassed UI and the Indonesian nation with his action," he said.

He said Saudi Arabia was a country that did not respect human rights, especially the rights of Indonesian migrant workers.

Various human rights violations had happened in Saudi Arabia including sexual abuse, torture and murder.

"One of the latest victims (of human rights violations in that country) was Ruyati who was beheaded for violating the country`s law which is against international norms," he said.

Thamrin said the UI rector`s decision to give the Saudi King an honorary title for humanitarianism was against the conscience of the Indonesian nation which had not yet forgotten the fate of Ruyati.

He said it was even suspected that the UI rector`s action had been part of some kind of a deal he had made with the Saudi King.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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