University authorities have assured that the identity of undergraduates voting at the campus elections expected to be held next month will not be traced.

In the past, students have complained of being threatened with expulsion if they voted for 'anti-establishment' candidates as university authorities allegedly claimed of being able to track them down via the serial number on the ballot papers.

The fear is now compounded by the introduction of the electronic or e-voting system, which requires a student to key in his/her identity card and student card numbers.

According to Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) vice-chairperson Simon Sipaun today, the universities had explained the matter during a meeting with the commission on June 21.

Reading out the excerpts from the meeting's minutes, he said the vice-chancellors told Suhakam commissioner Prof Chiam Heng Keng that putting serial numbers on ballot papers was done in accordance with the practice in general elections.

They said it also served as an useful indicator in determining the percentage of students who turn up for the elections and minimised the risk of invalid ballots being used illegally for voting.

Speaking to reporters at the Suhakam headquarters, Sipaun said the vice-chancellors also claimed that the students names are erased and therefore cannot be traced.

Last year, Suhakam had received several memorandums on alleged irregularities in campus elections.

However, Sipaun declined to release the full details of the minutes. The minutes also did not record the names of the vice-chancellors who attended the meet.

It was also alleged that the 'pro-establishment' candidates known as the 'government aspiration' team were backed by their respective student affairs department.

There were also claims that these candidates had received financial support and other incentives from Umno Youth.

Midnight raids

Meanwhile, Universiti Putra Malaysia had also replied to Suhakam regarding the controversial midnight raids conducted by its authorities on the rooms of several students in the run-up to last year's campus elections.

"The raids were carried out according to proper procedure such as knocking on the doors before entering. A full team conducted the raids and this was done with the knowledge of the vice-chancellor."

"It amounted to no other than a valid exercise of the vice-chancellor's discretion as they have the power to conducts raids," Simon quoted the vice-chancellor's reply from the minutes.

In the incident, four female UPM undergraduates had their rooms searched and were interrogated for allegedly planning "underground activities".

The four are all members of the Muslim Undergraduates Association (PMI), which is said to linked to PAS.

Following this, the UPM student council office was raided and about 2,000 copies of its bulletin were seized. The council was dominated by the 'anti-establishment' faction.

Subsequently, a student representative's room was raided and she was said to have been threatened when she requested for a written authorisation.

Authorities desperate

UPM graduate and student leader Chang Lih Kang claimed that university authorities had spread terror and issued threats in order to secure victory for the 'pro-establishment' candidates.

"I predict this trend will be more common in the upcoming campus elections because university authorities are very desperate to ensure their students are being supportive of the country's new administration," said Chang who also present at the Suhakam office.

The Malaysia Youth and Students Democratic Movement national affairs secretary stressed that

students were losing their patience with and confidence in the university authorities.

"For instance, Assoc Prof Dr Azali Mohamed who was the residential college head who led the team on the midnight raid was recently promoted without any probe or investigation as the vice-chancellor overseeing students affairs in UPM," he said.

Chang was part of a 30-member delegation who submitted a memorandum to Suhakam urging it to play a pro-active role in monitoring the campus elections.