The University of Malaya Students’ Union (UMSU) today renewed calls for the abolition of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA).
It cited the recent case of 120 B40 (bottom 40 percent of income earner) students being evicted from their housing as a way that the UUCA is being used to restrict the activities of undergraduates.
UMSU president Ooi Guo Shen, 22, said the students were paying RM270 monthly rent for “affordable housing”, an initiative that was mooted by the previous student union leadership.
He said the official reason given for the eviction was refurbishment but alluded that the real reason was due to provisions in the UUCA that do not allow student bodies to hold money or assets for their activities.
He pointed out that while the law prevented student organisations, clubs, or unions from managing their own finances, trying to get reimbursement from the university for money spent could sometimes take over a year.
“Our activities are being restricted.
“With the necessary scrutiny by the university with audit checks, we should be allowed to hold money and assets,” said Ooi (above, middle), adding that the eviction was an unfortunate consequence of provisions in the UUCA.
He explained that the affordable housing scheme commenced in 2019 after nine double-storey bungalow units in Section 16, Petaling Jaya, Selangor were refurbished for student accommodation.
“Through an agreement with the university and huge funds from Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil to refurbish the houses, we were able to let out the units at a nominal fee which covered the utility bills and maintenance costs.
“Four years later, although it was not luxury living, there were very few repairs needed for the units but we were told that the university wanted to refurbish the units and use them for their own purposes,” said Ooi.
He lamented that since the Oct 1 eviction deadline, no refurbishment works had commenced so far.
Ooi said rental in the area was estimated at RM500 a month, almost double the rental of the affordable student housing.
Bring back student union glory days
He was speaking to the media after handing over a memorandum to the Ministry of Higher Education.
The document called for the abolishment of the UUCA and was signed by 34 student organisations from public and private higher learning institutions, youth movements, and NGOs.
About 20 students representing six student organisations were at the handover. The memorandum was received by the Higher Education Department director Husaini Amir.
Organisations represented at the handover included the National Association of Malaysian Muslim Students, Tunku Abdul Rahman Association of New Youth, Voice of Youtharian, Utar Sg Long Campus Student Representative Council, and the Monash University Student Association.
Husaini said they would peruse the document.
However, he was unable to commit to when the students would receive a response or confirm if the matter would be brought to the attention of the newly minted Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
Meanwhile, UMSU vice president Arvinkumar Mohan, 23, took this opportunity to appeal to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to improve the freedom of students.
“There is no freedom of academia in any of the universities because we are not allowed to speak freely especially when we have contrasting views to that of the lecturers.
“We risk being rebuked sternly. And since our prime minister has enjoyed these freedoms as an activist in UMSU, my personal appeal is to allow the union to go back to its glory days in serving the students,” he said.
Ooi chimed in that academicians too suffered limitations, especially in their choice of guest speakers to the university that did not favour those with critical thought.
The students also threw their support behind four Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) students who were being investigated in relation to artist-activist Fahmi Reza’s Kelas Demokrasi which was held near the Penang campus in November.
UUCA lacks safeguards for students
The group listed four key issues in the memorandum and was hopeful for the reinstatement of the Technical Committee on the Abolishment of the UUCA.
Ooi said the technical committee had to be reinstated to work toward repealing the UUCA and the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555).
The technical committee comprising legal experts, academics, and non-academics from public and private universities, as well as students and alumni, was abruptly terminated in 2020.
The committee that was set up in December 2018 was tasked with studying the abolition of the UUCA.
The student group also called for a new Higher Education Bill to be introduced within a year, for more allocations given to universities to upkeep facilities, and to liberate campus elections by allowing autonomy to the campus election committee.
Ooi, a final-year law student, explained that the law was shockingly lacking in safeguards.
“(The UUCA lacks) safeguards like requiring a report on the investigation and cause of action that was taken against students.
“Right now, students have no idea on what grounds actions were taken against them,” he said, explaining that there were no limitations on the abuse of power by universities. - Mkini
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