The deputy higher education minister Saifuddin Abdullah is now inching towards possibly heading the bipartisan parliamentary caucus on students and politics mooted by the several young PKR MPs.

NONE Emboldened by the recent BN Youth Lab findings that showed that most of the youngsters polled are in favour of students having the freedom to participate in politics, Saifuddin ( right ) said that he is thinking about PKR Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar’s proposal .

“I am considering joining this parliamentary caucus. Besides, the next parliamentary (session) is still a long way to go. Anything can happen,” he told Malaysiakini .

When asked if he feared repercussions from his party Umno, with which Saifuddin is a supreme council member, he said that he is not acting purely on his own accord.

“I’m seeing a lot of people on this issue. I’m also meeting Gerakan Youth as well as PAS Youth, so I think it’s quite balanced.

NONE “The BN Youth are also on the same wavelength, so I am in no way doing things that the party has said ‘no’ to,” he added.

Saifuddin, having been a student activist himself, is known to be a proponent for getting students to be involved in politics.

Despite the recent cabinet ruling for a status quo on the issue, he has agreed to meet the youth wing of PAS to discuss the matter.

He also raised the issue at the Umno supreme council meet yesterday, distributing an 80-paragraph proposal on why students should be allowed to participate in politics.

It was also previously reported that Prime Minister Najib Razak is “open” to the idea, and that there should be more discussion on the matter before deciding on it.