The Universiti Malaya Student Affairs Department has rejected the latest attempt to allow filmmaker Fahmi Reza to give a lecture on his film on 60s student activism.

According to several students who met the deputy vice-chancellor in charge of the department, their proposal to bring in the young filmmaker was shot down because of "bureaucratic procedure".

The students had apparently proposed for Fahmi to conduct his public lecture on his latest documentary "Student Power", but had only named an individual as an organiser.

The university requires a registered student body to be named as the organiser.

“So the Student Affairs Department had questioned the programme because it was organised by an individual.

“And I don’t think this is relevant because the function does not involve a lot of people. The university merely provides the facilities and the location,” said Abu Ubaidah Amir Ab Maalek, a first year student from the UM science faculty.

However, they are still not letting up and will be sending in another proposal soon, and with the backing of an official campus group.

Dean questions producer's credentials

When met at UM this afternoon, Abu Ubaidah - also a student activist - was accompanied by 10 other students in a show of support for the lecture.

He had also told reporters that the university administration has made the decision, after factoring in the background of the lecturer.

psm indepence forum 300807 fahmi reza “The lecturer has to be a qualified professional in the field, and not an ‘outsider’. In fact, the qualifications will be determined by the dean of faculty,” said Abu Ubaidah.

This is not the first time Fahmi ( right ) had faced obstacles when attempting to give a public lecture in higher education institutions.

He was originally supposed to give the talk on the student activism movement of the 1960s in UM this coming Tuesday, but the organisers suddenly pulled the plug at the 11th hour last week. This is despite the organisers getting prior approval much earlier.

Universiti Teknologi Mara had also last week clamped down on the talk just hours before it was scheduled to start.

The organisers had planned the talk at UiTM's campus at Puncak Perdana yesterday evening when they suddenly found themselves barred.

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