AROUND 12 protesters claimed they endured taunts, harassment, and intimidation from the authorities during their 17-hour sit-in to present a memorandum on water issues in Sabah to the Chief Minister on June 14.
Suara Mahasiswa media coordinator Fadhil Kasim said several individuals at the security guard posts outside Menara Kinabalu also hurled threatening remarks at them recalling the events during the #KamiMahuAir rally last Friday.
“At one-point, high beams from four police vehicles were directed at us for about an hour, while several officers trod on the placards laid on the grass, removing them with their feet,” he said.
Fadhil said all of these incidents were well documented on their TikTok channel, which they streamed live that night.
Organised by the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) student body, Suara Mahasiswa, the student-led #KamiMahuAir rally started with a 4-kilometre march from the university campus entrance to the state administrative building, Menara Kinabalu, in Kota Kinabalu.
The rally culminated in a 17-hour sit-in where, despite negotiations, the group insisted on handing their memorandum directly to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Initially, around 80 individuals were involved in the rally, but only 12 took part in the overnight sit-in late that evening.
They were demanding that the state address the widespread water woes in Sabah.
Water shortages are one of Sabah's three legacy problems, along with poor road conditions and electricity supply.
However, according to Suara Mahasiswa, the narrative has been hijacked to serve a different issue.
Suara Mahasiswa deputy president Aliff Danial said UMS Vice Chancellor Datuk Kasim Mansor and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud have diverted the cause, portraying it as merely an UMS campus issue.
Perceiving their statements as a form of coercion, Aliff particularly noted Mustapha for downplaying the Sabah water issue as a campus-specific problem.
"Our cause extends beyond UMS; it pertains to water issues across Sabah," said Aliff.
"Mustapha's attempts to politicise the matter, constantly redirecting focus to UMS, are misguided. The problem affects Sepanggar and beyond, and as an MP, Mustapha should address it comprehensively," he said.
Aliff also dismissed claims that the rally had political influence, stating that the event was open to the public and any individuals identified as political participants had been “coincidental.”
Regarding the recent arrests of nine individuals without proper documents, Aliff clarified that the incident happened after the rally and away from the site at the Sabah International Convention Centre.
Citing the incident as an attempt to divert attention from the issue at hand, he said Suara Mahasiswa stands in solidarity with those detained and hopes for their prompt release.
Aliff was also aware that the police have opened an investigation into their protest, noting that they conducted the rally without a permit.
He asserted that the requirement of a permit to hold a rally is not necessary under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.
Aliff said he was also happy to have heard reports that the Sabah Water Department had reacted in the dismantling of 24 illegal connections to a main water pipeline near UMS following the rally. – The Vibes, June 17, 2024
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