A motion to support amendments to the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971, particularly Section 15(5) that bars students from taking part in politics, is to tabled in the Penang legislative assembly on Friday.

NONE The motion is to be tabled by Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman, who said the issued needed to be discussed as it was of public interest and affected the student community of the country.

Mansor, who is also state PKR chief, said the motion would also firmly state the Penang government's support for the university law to be amended and urge the BN government not to appeal Monday's Court of Appeal decision that Section 15(5) of the Act was unconstitutional.

"We want to state that we support and stand firmly with the students," he told a press conference at the state assembly today.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said he would support the motion and hoped that the other state assemblypersons would lend their support as well.

"We hope to debate the issue. The minds of our students must be free, they have been repressed for too a long time," Lim said.

When the Pakatan Rakyat government speaks of reforms, it is not "empty talk", he said, adding that "it is not like some people who can even twist and turn on the issue of food".

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