Don't get involved in politics, Dr M tells students

Students should not involve themselves with politics during their studies, says Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Therefore he saw no need for the repeal or amendment of the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA) to allow them to do so.

"People pay a lot of money for the students to go to universities to study. They shouldn't be involved in politics," stressed the former premier.

There will be time enough for politics later on in life, he added.

He said this when met by reporters after giving a talk in Kuala Lumpur on the impact of technology on higher learning organised by Open University Malaysia.

 

"After they’ve left and when they have time and their own money, they can do it (get into politics)," he explained.

 

Quizzed on the fact that many members of his cabinet were active student leaders in campus politics, Mahathir ( left ) shrugged off the matter.

 

"That was different. That was not real politics. They were only interested in student activities, not real politics."

 

Key members of Mahathir's cabinet during his tenure were student leaders who were active in politics during their university days.

 

Mahathir was known to be one of those who clamped down on active student participation in politics.

 

Lately, there have been calls for the prohibition on student  involvement in politics stipulated in the UUCA to be eased or even repealed.

No simple answer

This follows the government’s move to allow graduate teachers to engage in political activities, which subsequently saw Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah to call for the same freedom be given to students.

Meanwhile Bernama today reported that Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin has said that there are more aspects which need to be considered before students in institutions of higher learning can be allowed to be involved in politics.       

He added that it is important to also consult with the academic staff in universities as they are also a part of the equation.

       

“Let the discussion be continued; a lot of aspects need to be considered including (whether) to allow the university to become a political arena, and ensure that politics does not seep into campuses.”

“The decision requires a lot of considerations and (is not) only a yes or no answer,” he said to reporters after officiating a residential college in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Permatang Pauh, Penang today.