UiTM students tell of programme to inject right-wing sentiments

KUALA LUMPUR - About 500 students of Universiti Teknology Mara (UiTM) from across the country were made to attend a session in Shah Alam which has been described by some participants as an effort to ‘UMNO-nise’ them.

“Imagine for five days we were fed with Malay sentiments including a resolution asking us to invite UMNO leaders to our campus programmes,” said a student in an email to Harakahdaily.

Although hosted by the college's Students Representative Council, the programmes were said to be organised by the controversial National Civics Bureau (BTN), of which the current UiTM vice chancellor Shahul Hamid was former director.

The event was officiated by deputy chief secretary of Higher Education ministry, with a dinner programme attended by its minister Khalid Nordin.

Describing what transpired, one student from Perak said the organisers' bid to have all MPP members pass a resolution to invite UMNO leaders were met with jeers, and ultimately the resolution was rejected.

Others who spoke at the event include the deputy president of UMNO's right-wing offshoot Perkasa, replacing its chief Ibrahim Ali, and Perak state mufti Harussani Zakaria.

In his speech, Harussani repeated his calls to disallow non-Muslims from quoting Quranic verses.

- Harakahdaily