Eighteen Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) undergraduates have been summoned for a hearing this Wednesday for having allegedly violated university regulations when they protested against the irregularities in their campus elections in November last year.

A reliable UTM source told malaysiakini that the students were charged subsequently by the university authority for allegedly committing various offences violating the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA).

The students today received notices informing them to appear for the hearing. Some by mail, others by phone from the universitys student affairs department, said the source who is among the students charged.

The final-year student who sat for the final-year examination in March is currently working while waiting to receive his scroll.

If Im suspended, I will not be able to graduate, said the source.

The source added that he also discovered that the university is currently withholding his final examination results pending the hearing.

He was alleged to have acted impolitely for making excessive demand to meet with Education Minister Musa Mohamad to protest against UTMs student representative council election results last year.

Thus, he was charged by UTM authorities under the UUCA for committing acts which are deemed to have jeopardised the interest and good name of the university and disrupted peace, safety and morality.

Protest memorandum

According to him, some students are also believed to have been charged for bringing up the matter to the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).

After presenting a memorandum protesting against the alleged irregularities in their campus elections to Suhakam, a group of UTM students also requested to meet the education minister to highlight their case earlier this year.

They alleged that ballot boxes were tampered with during the UTM elections and nominations of several candidates were made under questionable circumstances.

Several UTM student leaders also complained that they were served show-cause letters for airing their grievances to the media.

The source had reported to Suhakam today that the students have been summoned for a hearing on Wednesday. An official from the human rights body confirmed this when contacted this evening.

The official, who declined to be named, said he had advised the student not to do anything foolish.

I told him to request for a delay on the hearing so he can prepare himself, the official said.

The official also added that he had contacted the UTM authorities regarding the matter and is expecting a reply on whether they are willing to delay the hearing.