A proposal to propel a student representative to Parliament was rejected at the inaugural National Student Assembly (NSA) as the suggestion was deemed unrealistic.

The motion which was put through the Students’ Parliament at the NSA yesterday, received dismal support from some 80-plus tertiary students present.

NONE "We need a representative who would speak for us and the problems we face. People in the Dewan Rakyat are not bothered about us," said the student who tabled the motion.

Although he attempted with gusto to compel those present that there was an urgent necessity to have a voice is in the Lower House, others were unconvinced as they felt the mechanics were not thought through.

NONE However, other proposals like forming a students' cooperative and on building unity among the students, were better received.

The move to form a students’ cooperative garnered 81 out of 86 votes through a show of hands.

The cooperative initiative, though criticised for not having a solid foundation, was popular as it would be a source of funds for students.

On students’ unity, it was suggested that the NSA be an annual gathering, if not a monthly one.

Drawing the loudest cheers was when one student called for all to be united should any student come under fire or penalised for going against the institution rules.

First of its kind

NONE Although there were many disagreements, the students maintained decorum and followed the standing orders of the proceedings.

After the 90-minute session had wrapped up, speaker Amir Farid Ruslan, 23, said he was surprised how civil the participants were in their discussion.

Amir said that this was in a stark contrast to the behaviour of parliamentarians in the Dewan Rakyat, who often had to be reminded to maintain their etiquette.

NONE "We were prepared to have students hurl bad words at each other - that's why we reminded them of the guidelines before we began... but they didn't say or do anything offensive," said Amir.

He added that students from 18 institutions had participated in the Students’ Parliament.

The NSA was an initiative, the first of its kind in recent years, to revive the student movement of the 1960s.

The one-day gathering was mooted by a group of 33 youths and students from public and private institutions across the country to mobilise tertiary students to unite under one umbrella.

The assembly, held at the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, attracted some 300 participants from 85 higher institutions.