The Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students in last week’s #KamiMahuAir (We Want Water) protest appear to be well-intentioned individuals seeking basic human rights for themselves and others.
The overriding concern of the student platform known as Suara Mahasiswa was to secure a sustained supply of water to the campus community.
The protesters were joined in solidarity by West Malaysian university student activists who through a parallel event submitted a memorandum to the federal administrative capital of Putrajaya.
The protest was prompted by long-standing recurrent water shortages and poor water quality on the UMS campus. Allegedly, a swarm of maggots that had feasted on the carcass of a monkey was also once discovered in a water tank, and that too only after complaints of putrid water quality from students.
UMS has now constructed several additional tube wells with federal funds that were poured into resolving the lack of water on campus. However, problems of a clean and reliable water supply persist.
Ongoing water woes
The problem of getting an adequate water supply into the university is much larger than can be handled by its administrators. The problem involves external agencies. The state’s water authorities and, indeed, the Sabah political establishment itself, have been frequently cited.
These events have underscored the severe and ongoing nature of the water supply problems faced by the students, necessitating intervention beyond the university’s administration.
Therefore, it is no surprise that the Suara Mahasiswa-led protesters made an arduous 3km journey on foot to draw attention to their plight. They walked from the university campus of Sepanggar to the state administrative complex in Likas.
Over and above any existing grouses they might have had with the university authorities, they were clear that the resolution of the problem lies in the corridors of political power in Sabah and on the steps of the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya.
In reading out a portion of their memorandum, a spokesperson for the #KamiMahuAIr secretariat proclaimed: “We want federal government involvement. We understand that water is under the management of the state. We understand that.
“There is no need to mock undergraduates. That is why we said that [the federal government] should ‘help’ [the state government].”
The students wanted to meet directly with Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, having reportedly met previously with his deputy and the water department. They were instead met only with a police presence.
They were offered to either submit their memorandum to the deputy chief minister or to meet the chief minister himself in a subsequent week. The students rejected both offers.
Their action was subsequently labelled as “immature” and they are also under police investigation following the Likas protest.
Engage in dialogues
Gerak firmly supports the UMS students’ right to protest and express their grievances peacefully. Their decision to reject both offers in hopes of handing their memorandum directly to Hajiji the following day demonstrates their determination and courage.
Labelling their actions as “immature” is a regressive mischaracterisation of their legitimate concerns and proactive stance in seeking solutions. A police investigation was also opened.
Gerak condemns the decision to open a police investigation following the Likas protest, which appears to be an attempt to intimidate and silence the students.
Instead of criminalising peaceful protest, authorities should engage in meaningful dialogue with the students and address their pressing human rights to water issues they have raised.
The water crisis at UMS is symptomatic of larger governance and infrastructural issues that affect multiple communities in and around UMS.
Gerak, therefore, stands with the students in their fight for basic human rights, including access to clean water and freedom of expression, and calls for urgent and collaborative efforts from the federal and state governments to resolve these issues.
This collaboration should include the allocation of necessary resources and the establishment of a dedicated task force to address the infrastructure and systemic issues contributing to the water crisis.
Solve water woes. End university paternalism and police harassment of students. - Mkini
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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