The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it. ~Jules Renard, "Diary", February 1895
Why would anyone, already being in the spotlight of success, admiration, smartness, and leadership potential, do something so plainly stupid before the public eyes to ruin all those privileges in a trice? Is this what most psychologists would identify as 'self-destruction''? How awful..
I can't help but feeling pity and concerned for the beloved young and bright academia, Professor Anak Agung Banyu Perwita from Parahyangan University. I don't personally know him, but seeing his curriculum vitae, abundant with multiple achievement in academic field of international relations, he should have known better to commit such a naive plagiarism in national newspaper. Better off, he could have been smarter not to undermine publicized works that might jeopardize his rising career.
It all came into the surface when Jakarta Post, a well-known Indonesian national newspaper in English, published his article which titled “RI As A New Middle Power?” on November 12, 2009. Shortly afterwards several people called the newspaper pointing out that the article have unbearable similarity with another article written by Carl Ungerer in a scientific journal in Australia two years earlier. After finding the evidence, Jakarta Post finally retracted the said article and apologized to the readers and Carl Ungerer himself on February 4, 2010.
After the announcement of plagiarism in Jakarta Post, Banyu wrote in his Facebook account that “I do apologize for what I have done unintentionally. Thanks for all the concerns.” and the next morning he said “Perhaps, it’s better for me to resign.”
Unfortunately, the word 'unintentionally' in his apology was something hard to believe when later on some other evidences of his plagiarism were disclosed. There were at least four of them, which also published in the same newspaper. One of the articles called “Rising China and the Implications for SE Asia” published on February 4, 2008 was allegedly copied from two articles written by Phillipines professors Rommel Banlaoi and Aileen Baviera. Others were “RI's Defense Transformation” on June 14, 2009 that was plagiarized from Richard Bitzinger's work in 2004 and “US Growing Interest in Southeast Asia” published in July 30, 2009 that was copied from Catharin E. Dalpino's article in 2008. Check Hireka Eric's post in Kompasiana for more info about it.
The unbelievable thing about his plagiarism is that how easily it was to identify it. In the earlier articles, he copied some sentences and phrases without mentioning the sources. In the latest article he basically just changed several words to make it more fitted to Indonesian context, making it 70% similar with the original one, but still no utterance of its source.
Plagiarism: literary theft; when a writer duplicates another writer's language or ideas and then calls the work his or her own; to avoid the charge of plagiarism, writers take care to credit those from whom they borrow and quote.
These findings certainly stunned the civitas academica in Indonesia. The most despicable violation of academic value conducted by its own great guru from reputable university? It's so ironic and almost hilarious! Although Banyu Perwita himself had gallantly admitted and publicly apologized for this wrongdoing, reactions surged up asking proper punishment for the shameful misconduct.
Banyu indeed submitted resignation from his university as a form of responsibility on February 8, 2010. Later on the Senate of Parahyangan University finally accepted this resignation, but they didn't issue any recommendation to revoke his 'professor' title unlike some people had suggested. Banyu Prawita was famous for being the youngest professor ever in Indonesia, he was 41 years old when the Education Ministry bestowed him the prestigious title on January 12, 2008.
I can imagine how hard it must be for Parahyangan University to dismiss him. It's a dilemma. The university lost their brilliant and well-known academia leader (one who was predicted to become the next Chancellor, they said), the students lost their most inspiring and open-minded lecturer and many final-year students lost their thesis supervisor.
To keep him without sanction, however, is also an act of selfishness that will ruin university reputation and do harm to overall educated-mentality. It's far more important to upheld the ethical value and the academic integrity, and to impose the penalty indiscriminately. Some reports said that this is the first plagiarism case who was committed by a professor ever brought to public attention. So most likely this case will be used for future reference.
