‘Umno’s dumbing down of public universities’
Yesterday was a sad day for the Malaysian youth, especially those in public universities. In commemoration of Umno’s 71st birthday, it was widely reported that more than 10,000 students from public universities, especially Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), were allegedly forced to attend a political event in Umno’s name.
When I posted a tweet asking for more details regarding this, I received a barrage of messages from angry students who were apparently coerced by their university admin to fulfil Umno’s whims and fancies.
Their allegations were backed up with documentary evidence and personal testimonies of those who were present on the ground. It cannot be a random coincidence that thousands of angry students lashed out on social media against Umno’s coercive tactic.
The students from multiple branches of UiTM informed me that everyone from their faculties from semester 1 to semester 3 were forced to head to Bukit Jalil for a “volunteering event”. “Compulsory orders” were given out and incentives splashed in the form of free T-shirts, food and allowances. Some classes and tests had to be postponed to make way for Umno’s celebration.
Exemption letters were given out like candies in a candy shop. I distinctly remember how difficult it was to get an exemption letter from my university for debate related events, even if it meant representing the country.
The debaters from UiTM Shah Alam had to cancel some of their international trips due to overlapping dates with faculty tests, yet for Umno-related events, the rules are very different. Representing your country is less important than being seat-fillers for Umno.
Umno’s hypocrisy couldn’t get any clearer. In 2015, two student leaders from Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Malaysia were suspended for hosting a public debate on the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Fahmi Zainol and his friends were punished heavily for hosting Anwar Ibrahim.
Anis Syafiqah Mohd Yusof received her love letter, specially sent by the university with a suspension order, for leading a resistance movement against the apparently scandal-ridden Najib Abdul Razak. I myself lost my job as a lecturer and debate trainer for writing an open letter to Najib on the 1MDB fiasco.
All of us did it voluntarily yet we were met with strong resistance. It’s truly ironic that we were punished for being politically active, yet Umno’s coercion of university students for political purposes is championed and celebrated...
Yesterday was a sad day for the Malaysian youth, especially those in public universities. In commemoration of Umno’s 71st birthday, it was widely reported that more than 10,000 students from public universities, especially Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), were allegedly forced to attend a political event in Umno’s name.
When I posted a tweet asking for more details regarding this, I received a barrage of messages from angry students who were apparently coerced by their university admin to fulfil Umno’s whims and fancies.
Their allegations were backed up with documentary evidence and personal testimonies of those who were present on the ground. It cannot be a random coincidence that thousands of angry students lashed out on social media against Umno’s coercive tactic.
The students from multiple branches of UiTM informed me that everyone from their faculties from semester 1 to semester 3 were forced to head to Bukit Jalil for a “volunteering event”. “Compulsory orders” were given out and incentives splashed in the form of free T-shirts, food and allowances. Some classes and tests had to be postponed to make way for Umno’s celebration.
Exemption letters were given out like candies in a candy shop. I distinctly remember how difficult it was to get an exemption letter from my university for debate related events, even if it meant representing the country.
The debaters from UiTM Shah Alam had to cancel some of their international trips due to overlapping dates with faculty tests, yet for Umno-related events, the rules are very different. Representing your country is less important than being seat-fillers for Umno.
Umno’s hypocrisy couldn’t get any clearer. In 2015, two student leaders from Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Malaysia were suspended for hosting a public debate on the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Fahmi Zainol and his friends were punished heavily for hosting Anwar Ibrahim.
Anis Syafiqah Mohd Yusof received her love letter, specially sent by the university with a suspension order, for leading a resistance movement against the apparently scandal-ridden Najib Abdul Razak. I myself lost my job as a lecturer and debate trainer for writing an open letter to Najib on the 1MDB fiasco.
All of us did it voluntarily yet we were met with strong resistance. It’s truly ironic that we were punished for being politically active, yet Umno’s coercion of university students for political purposes is championed and celebrated.
Who will foot the bill?
We are also still unclear who will foot the bill for mobilising our university students. Busses, allowances, accommodation, free T-shirts, meals and more. Will this be subsidised by the university or Umno?
The fact that Umno spent RM1,000,000 on their lucky draw alone is disturbing. This comes at a time where university budgets are slashed more than 30 percent and scholarships rolled back. Some university students even have to rely on the benevolence of their friends for daily meals as their National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans were apparently slashed and often postponed.
Our universities were once intellectual zones which championed independent-mindedness and critical thinking. Our universities were once on par with some of the top universities in Asia. Our universities were once free from political coercion and embraced open political debates, yet today we see the opposite.
Students who are in line with the government are celebrated while critics are sidelined and punished. Intellectual zones have now been converted to Umno-friendly zones to fulfil one’s lust for power and adoration. From being on par with the top universities in Asia, now universities like UIA and UiTM can barely make it to the top 600 list.
I believe with good governance and the absence of political interference, we could make the top 100 in less than 10 years. If South Korea and China can do it in less than a decade, why can’t we?
If Selangor-administered universities like Unisel can embrace open debates and dialogues, why can’t federal-administered universities do the same? If the National University of Singapore can make the Top 20 list, why can’t Universiti Malaya (UM) do the same?
I am forever indebted to the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa for making me who I am today. It’s a public university but I was privileged to be allowed to engage in open debates and discourse in Malaysia and abroad. I was privileged for being in the best debate club in Asia and the Top 10 in the world. I am privileged in so many other ways.
It is therefore critical that we find ways to make the exception the norm. My offer from Oxford University to pursue my master’s in public policy was made possible due to the journey I undertook in Malaysia’s public university.
One day, I’d love to see the global community look up to UM, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and UiTM the same way we look up to Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard. For that to happen, we need a post-Umno government which is accountable and transparent.
A government which doesn’t waste resources on employing coercive tactics to numb the creative mind of our students. A government which wouldn’t force more than 10,000 students to become event-fillers for their political gain. I am optimistic that we will see that government soon. Soon, inshaallah.
SYED SADDIQ SYED ABDUL RAHMAN is a part-time lecturer at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Malaysia and is Asia’s best debater, winning the United Asia Debate Championship in May 2015.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
