Student getting bullied by a condescending panelist. Students harassed by unruly thugs bent on seeing their exit from the Prime Minister’s Pekan constituency.
Students denied permission to host forums featuring politicians from both sides. In short, students getting manhandled in the confines of their campus. Bottom of the food chain.
On the March 18, students of University Teknologi Mara(UiTM) were denied access to the speaker’s corner for their programme and in the process, provoked and taunted by a group of police volunteers and UiTM students who allegedly wanted to protect the ‘kedaulatan’ of the campus.
They ended up having their speaker’s corner outside of the campus to carry on their programme. University Islam Antarabangsa lecturer, Dr Mazlee Malik, was bothered enough to take to Twitter to express his views.
By Malaysian standards this is nothing more than a storm in the teacup. No police beatings, no broken ribs, no gashed knees. All is well. But is it?
The fact that this sounds normal and casual to Malaysian ears, seems to me, a disturbing thing.
Our students are getting roughed up just because their politics differ from the government of the day.
The government under Najib Tun Razak seems keen to boost our universities’ rankings. Universiti Malaya is conducting interviews for students wanting to be admitted into professional courses like law.
Lecturers are assessed on KPI to push them to write and publish more papers. Yet the main feature of an august place of higher learning must be its celebration of dissenting views.
How are our universities to improve and be great, when we admonish and beat up its inhabitants who dared to sing a different tune?
Perhaps the Education Minister should look into this – really look into this – and bring along your Higher Education Minister as well while you’re at it.
Muhyiddin should do something useful to sustain our democracy in the long run, instead of strutting around making statements like he is Malay first and Malaysian second.
The duo has much to learn from Deputy Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, who is on good terms with our mahasiswas and mahasiswis, despite not agreeing with them on everything.
If this country is to improve, the focus should be on the education of her young bright minds. They are enthusiastic, inquisitive and if given the opportunity, rather intellectual as well.
Best of all, they do not remember the politics of the generations of old, and hence a conducive conduit to a new face of Malaysian politics.
The public is urged to stand behind any students suffering discrimination and suppression from any quarters.
The day we celebrate our youngsters is the day we prepare for a tomorrow more hopeful and vibrant, away from the shadows of the past.
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