Defend students’ freedom, Bersih tells Malaysians
Malaysians should unite and protect students' freedom, said electoral reform group Bersih 2.0, following the move by Universiti Malaya to initiate disciplinary proceedings against student leader Fahmi Zainol for holding a rally with opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Monday.
Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah said the October 27 gathering had proved there will be more Fahmis.
"I believe that all Malaysians must stand together to end such attacks against the students and to unite, defend and protect our freedoms," she said in a statement today.
Fahmi faces nine charges under the Universities and University Colleges Act. He and eight others who were with him have been instructed to attend an inquiry board meeting on November 7.
The president of Universiti Malaya Undergraduates' Association said he might be expelled from the university.
Describing the charges as "absurd", Maria said it goes against the freedom of expression and assembly.
"If UM had respected the students' right to have the event instead of conjuring obstacles to block them, the university's reputation would not have been tarnished," she said.
Despite a shutdown by UM, hundreds on Monday forced their way through the university's main gates, allowing Anwar to enter his alma mater and address a crowd of about 2,000.
The event, “40 years: From UM to prison”, was declared illegal by UM deputy vice-chancellor of student affairs Professor Datuk Dr Rohana Yusof, as it would “damage the image” of the university.
In calling for the charges against Fahmi and the eight students be dropped, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said the time is now to encourage the return of student activism.
He said as idealistic youths, students should be encouraged to be concerned over national issues without the need to be in politics.
"Without taking partisan sides of supporting Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat parties, university administrations should encourage and not cripple the development of critical faculties of our undergraduates," he said in a statement.
He lamented that Malaysia's education is facing a prolonged crisis, lagging behind South Korea by 19 years and Singapore by 35 years in productivity, when the nation started off on an almost equal footing 50 years ago.
Malaysia's continuous dismal performance in international assessments highlights weaknesses in the country's schooling system, despite the fact that education gets the largest share of funds every year from the national budget.
Critics have pointed out that the assessments results contradicted Putrajaya’s insistence that Malaysia has a world-class education system.
A World Bank senior economist had said that the poor quality of Malaysia's education system was more worrying than the debt level of its households.
Dr Frederico Gil Sander, who is senior economist for Malaysia, said Malaysians should be "alarmed" that their children were doing worse in school than children in Vietnam, a country that was poorer than Malaysia.
Critics have also questioned the real worth of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) which produces many students who scored As, but who can't compete with their peers from Singapore, China and Taiwan.
Opposition politicians have relentlessly attacked Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin over Malaysia's poor results in international assessment tests.
Muhyiddin subsequently announced that the ministry would set up a special committee tasked with elevating students’ assessments in these tests. – November 1, 2014.
