Universiti Malaya has asked all staff and students to leave the campus by 4pm and warned trespassers that they may be prosecuted ahead of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's planned speech there.

UM international and corporate relations office director Zarina Zainol Abidin said UM has absolute power over all activities on campus and that Anwar's planned visit was never approved by the university.

"UM as the registered owner (of the university) has absolute right over every activity carried out or will be carried out on the university grounds.

"Any activity by any individual or organisation on university grounds, without permission, can mean an act of trespassing and the university as the registered owner has a right to take legal action against any individual or organisation," Zarina said in a statement today.

She also denied that the university was behind a letter circulating online that the police will take over UM's security ahead of Anwar's visit in a lockdown.

She said the letter was false and the university has since lodged a police report.

Anwar's visit is seen as an attempt to shore up support ahead of his Sodomy II conviction appeal tomorrow.

Power disruption cancels classes

A circular in the name of UM Registrar Yusoff Musa called on all staff and students to leave the campus at 4pm, citing power disruption due to the bad weather. 

"There are problems with the electric sub-station. The situation is dangerous and the university authorities are trying to conduct repair and maintenance works at a few main locations within the university. 

"All staff are allowed to leave by recording the said excuse in the e-attendance," the e-circular says.

Malaysiakini confirms the veracity of the circular and it is understood that a similar notice was sent out before the Deepavali celebrations.

Students have also received emails rescheduling all classes for this evening due to "campus closure".

When contacted, power provider TNB said that it is not doing any work on the sub-station in UM.

However, it is noted that the registrar in the circular said that the repair works will be done by the university itself.

Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar today said the police will not get involved in the university’s administration affairs, reports Bernama .

 
Khalid said it was up to the university whether to allow Anwar into the campus or otherwise.
 
However, he confirmed that police would be stationed outside the university tonight, with special emphasis around the ar-Rahman Mosque to ensure nothing untoward happens.

Meanwhile, Universiti Malaya Students' Association (PMUM) insists that Anwar's visit tonight will go ahead as planned.

It confirmed that the opposition leader will speak outside UM's Kuala Lumpur gate if he is barred from entering the campus.

Vandals strike with anti-Anwar grafitti

In a related development, vandals have taken to the streets with spray paint to post grafitti deriding the opposition leader around the university's KL gate.

Among the grafitti are the phrases "Anwar gila kuasa" (Anwar is power-crazy), Anwar belit (Anwar twists facts) and "Anwar Juburi", which is a derogatory term referring to the opposition leader's sodomy case.

The huge words were sprayed side-by-side with pro-Anwar grafitti, which bears Anwar's face and the words "Reformasi 2.0" and "Rakyat Hakim Negara" (The people are the country's judge), which is the opposition's slogan for Anwar's cause.

Anwar was on March 7 sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted for sodomising his former aide on June 26, 2008.

His final appeal against the sentence, in the Federal Court, will be heard for two days from tomorrow. He is currently free on bail.

Anwar has maintained that the charge is politically motivated, pointing out that Saiful had met then Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak three days before lodging a police report on the sodomy accusation.

Additional reporting by Alyaa Azhar