UIA cancels deputy minister's dialogue with students

Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) was said to have cancelled a dialogue between Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah and students at the eleventh hour on the ground that the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) is still a hot issue.

Saifuddin, who is seen as a comparatively open minded and outspoken Umno leader, was scheduled to attend a dialogue with UIA students last night to discuss his electronic book entitled ‘Kalau Saya Mahasiswa’ (If I were a university student).

Published in 2009, this is the Temerloh MP’s fifth book.

The dialogue organised by the Law Students Association was to have been held at the main auditorium.

Among others, it was to discuss whether the UUCA suppresses students and how universities can monitor the political involvement of students.

However, in an email sent last night, Saifuddin's media officer claimed that the programme had been postponed to another date.

"Saifuddin (said) he received information from the deputy rector (student affairs) that the cancellation was ordered by Rector (Professor Zaleha Kamaruddin),” said the aide.

"The reason for the cancellation is that the issue of UUCA is being hotly discussed."

Last month, the Court of Appeal had ruled that Section 15(5) of the UUCA, which bans students from participating in politics, isunconstitutional and violates freedom of expression.

Since then the government has been under pressure not to appeal against the judgement, but no decision has been made so far.

Saifuddin, along with Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu, are among a handful of BN leaders who have urged the government to abide by the court's decision and proceed to amend the law.

UIA, a public university, drew flak when it suspended law professor Abdul Aziz Bari for six day over his comment on the Selangor sultan's decree related to the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department's search of a church compound in Damansara Utama on Aug 3.