Let our students think, grow and decide..

Fear and intimidation only stunts the growth of those who will in time lead the nation

COMMENT

 by Kelvin Yii

A few days ago, a statement by the Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh warned undergraduates that those involved in the Bersih 4.0 rally will face action under the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971.

I was appalled upon reading that statement because not only is this an attempt to curtail the very freedom and rights of our students enshrined under the Federal Constitution, but it also displays real ignorance of the law.

On 24th November 2011, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Najb Tun Razak announced amendments to Section 15 of the UUCA 1971 which essentially lifted the ban on student participation in politics and allowed more political freedom for university students.

Section 15(1) of the very Act now states that:

“…a student of the University may become a member of any society, organization, body or group of persons, whether in or outside Malaysia, including any political party…”

These amendments came after the landmark case known as the UKM4 where the Court of Appeal ruled that Section 15(5)(a) of the Act was unreasonable and violated the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Federal Constitution. There is thus no basis to charge any of the undergrads under the recently amended UUCA 197.

Additionally, I am dismayed by the ignorance of those whose work and duty it is to be up to date and well versed on the rights of the students supposedly under their purview. It is worrying that officials who should be encouraging undergraduates to develop their critical thinking skills through greater exposure to information, are instead using fear and intimidation to try to limit their freedom of thought and expression.

What kind of students does the ministry hope to produce by these practices?

Is the statement meant to patronize; to question the ability of students to decide for themselves whether or not to be involved in issues of national importance? Was the statement issued by those who feel they occupy a higher moral ground and so are entitled to “tame” the students whom they perceive to know nothing?

All it does really, is deprive the students of their inherent rights, handicap them and hold them back from achieving their full potential.

Maybe, just maybe, this is one of the reasons why our education system is failing our students, and we are lagging behind many other developed countries. Universities are supposed to be safe places where students are exposed to vast amounts of information; where they are encouraged to engage in discovery and sharpen their thinking. This is why they are called institutions of higher learning.

They are not meant to be vehicles that merely feed information biased towards the people in power.

Our students are our future leaders. We owe them the respect the constitution gives them and an education that empowers them not one that locks their minds and crushes their spirits.

Kelvin Yii is an FMT reader.