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UM Pleases the Government Due to Change in Political Climate


UM was previously proud to announce that UM students enjoyed student autonomy and bragged that the organising of the campus elections are completely controlled by its students (CEC). However, it has now become a puppet of the authorities, blindly following policies which were put in place to interfere with campus democracy!

Since the change of the Federal Government in 2018, the opportunity for student autonomy to grow arose. For the first time in more than 40 years, the CEC, which is an all-student committee, was established with the full support from UM in order to hold campus elections during the second semester of each academic year. At that time, UM actively supported the reformation and was even willing to clear the obstacles for its students which arose when holding campus elections to show its support and protection for campus democracy.

Today, ever since the Ministry of Higher Education under the Perikatan Nasional government started to intervene in matters pertaining to university administration and campus elections, UM has been blindly following instructions by the current government which were ignorant to the rights of students. Not only does UM support the postponement of the campus election to the first semester of the next academic year, but it also had the intention to obstruct the proper operation of the CEC, hence causing the next campus election to be delayed again. 

Having unclear principles, the university is not only showing ambiguity and indecisiveness in its management as well as decision-making, but it is also aiding the bold intervention of external political powers in campus elections!

Ever since the implementation of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (AUKU) in 1971, various powers which belonged to the student associations have been taken away by the university administration (HEP). Moreover, the government has been allowed to interfere in important university matters as they wish. The provisions in AUKU conferred the Ministry of Higher Education the power to appoint any person whom they are pleased with to take on roles in the university’s board of directors, such as the position of Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor. University affairs have since then been fully managed and controlled by officials. The university needs not be held accountable, nor do the students have any rights to question their often oppressive decisions. This is essentially the cause of the reality we face today. 


Therefore, we sincerely hope that every student in the University of Malaya can sign, support, and share the petition by CEC. We must fight against any external or political interference in our campus election. This is our much neglected right, thus it is the time for us to step up and voice out!


Campus Democracy, Student Autonomy

UMANY


Sign the petition here: 

http://chng.it/5SZPCnNJQV

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