Universiti Malaya (UM) has tightened security around the campus and shut many of its main gates to prevent vehicles from entering ahead of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s talk tonight. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, October 27, 2014.
As Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim prepares to give a talk at Universiti Malaya (UM) tonight, the university administration has informed staff they can leave work early today, citing electrical issues.
In an email from the administration, UM said all employees were allowed to leave work as early as 4pm.
"The bad and unpredictable weather of late has resulted in blackouts and damage to electrical substations in the university," UM's administration told them in an email that is now being circulated on Facebook.
"The situation is dangerous and the university would like to carry out repairs and maintenance on the electrical substations at several major locations in the university.
"Hence, to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, the administration has agreed for all offices in the campus of Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, to be closed down on October 27, 2014 (Monday) from 4pm today," the email said.
UM's security department has tightened security around the campus and shut many of its main gates to prevent vehicles from entering, causing traffic congestion at the Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya entrances.
Security director Yusof Harun said in an email to the university's employees that he had received orders from the administration to allow only vehicles with the UM sticker to enter the campus.
It is believed the restriction is to prevent the UM Undergraduates’ Association (PMUM) from carrying out their programme tonight: "40 years: from UM to prison".
However, PMUM said it would go on with the programme as planned, and Anwar was expected to speak to the students there tonight.
PMUM president Fahmi Zainol told a press conference today that they would go ahead with the programme despite pressure from the UM administration to halt it.
"The programme has received a lot of support from various other student organisations in the Klang Valley," Fahmi told reporters outside the Dewan Tunku Canselor.
"Fellow students from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the International Islamic University and Universiti Malaya Sabah have all voiced their support for the programme."
Fahmi said tonight's programme, scheduled to begin at 9pm, was also a message to fellow student activists nationwide to be bold and courageous in acting on their beliefs.
Yesterday, Anwar said he would still attend tonight's programme despite the ban by the university's administration.
Anwar is appealing his sodomy conviction for the final time at the Federal Court tomorrow and on Wednesday.
On March 7, the Court of Appeal overturned his sodomy acquittal by the High Court two years earlier. The appellate court found Anwar guilty of sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, at a unit at the Desa Damansara condominium in Bukit Damansara between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.
Anwar was sentenced to five years’ jail but was granted a stay, pending an appeal to the Federal Court.
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