KUALA LUMPUR – Student unions have begun to voice out their demands for reforms and good governance to the new federal administration led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, an erstwhile firebrand student leader himself in his varsity days.
The appointment of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) leader as prime minister, who was parliamentary opposition leader in the previous term, has given renewed zest to the bodies to press on various issues related to student welfare, human rights, and academic freedom.
In a statement supported by 13 other student organisations, the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) student union outlined several of its appeals to the newly elected policymakers following the recently concluded 15th general election.
“With renewed confidence in the new Malaysian government and policymakers, we wish to bring attention to our demands, which will be benefiting the students at large.
“The Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (commonly called Auku) should be replaced with a new act that truly serves the needs of students, while student unions should be established at a national level in all universities.
“The higher education minister should also be a competent individual,” it stressed.
The union added that it was looking forward to communicating and connecting extensively with the new government for the benefit of student organisations nationwide.
However, the union warned the government that it will not be taking a backseat on matters affecting students’ welfare. It stated that its decision to hold the doors open for future collaborations should not be seen as a sign of “blind obedience”.
“Since its formation in 2019, the IIUM student union has always served as a check-and-balance to the government,” it said.
“We will not hesitate to criticise the government’s actions and take the necessary steps if any decision ignores or suppresses students’ voices and rights… if our voice is suppressed and ignored, we will criticise and take appropriate actions.”
Other organisations that endorsed the statement include the Universiti Malaya (UM) student union, Universiti Malaysia Sabah student representative council, and Persatuan Belia Harmoni Malaysia.
Anwar is well known to have been a strident and influential student leader at UM before he became a politician by joining Umno in 1982 on an invitation extended by then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Notably, Anwar had headed a series of demonstrations by university students in Baling in 1974 to voice out the suffering of rural folk and farmers. The rallies in the rural Kedah town, which lasted for over a week, saw some 30,000 people gathered to protest the drop in rubber prices that affected farmers and plantation workers.
PH chairman Anwar officially became Malaysia’s 10th prime minister yesterday after taking his oath of office at Istana Negara before the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
The ceremony put an end to five days of political uncertainty after the national polls saw no one coalition securing a simple majority to form the government. – The Vibes, November 25, 2022
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