The disciplinary charges against the four students of Universiti Malaya (UM), who were found guilty for involvement in the Tangkap MO1 rally, are an excuse to punish and stamp out dissent, electoral reform movement Bersih says.

"They were not even charged in a court of law as they assembled peacefully.

"Bullying students through unfair disciplinary procedures and passing heavy penalties does not bode well for the UM administration, especially when it is aiming to regain its former status as a first-class university in the global arena," Bersih said in a statement today.

The four students, Anis Syafiqah Mohd Yusof (photo), Mohamad Luqman Nul Haqim, Muhammad Luqman Hakim and Suhail Wan Azahar, were found guilty of violating UM's rules and acting in a manner detrimental to both the university's good name and public order.

The four students are part of the student coalition Kesatuan Mahasiswa Malaysia, which organised the TangkapMO1 rally in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 27.

Condemning the university's action against the four, Bersih said it was shocked that educational institutions would punish their students for exercising their freedom of speech, assembly and association.

The questions raised by the students at the TangkapMO1 rally were valid issues on corruption and governance, Bersih said, which showed that the students understood their roles and responsibilities in society.

Tertiary educational institutions, it added, should be a place where knowledge and critical thinking are cultivated and encouraged, not muzzled to maintain the status quo.

"Silencing voices must stop. Malaysia is a growing democracy and a more inclusive governance needs to be promoted," it said.

As such, Bersih urged UM to drop all disciplinary charges against the four students and instead, encourage discourse by initiating healthy dialogues between the students and relevant authorities.

This would open up safe spaces for students to express their views to the government and vice-versa, which would then reflect well on UM as an educational institution that fosters critical thinking and openness.

Bersih also urged fellow Malaysians to stand in solidarity with the four students by signing a petition calling for the charges against them to be dropped.

"The youth will inherit the country and it would do the authorities well to listen to them," Bersih added.