Writing's on the wall for UUCA, gov't told
University students group Gamis today called on the government to see the Court of Appeal’s declaration as unconstitutional Section 15(5) of the University and University College Act (UUCA) as a signal to abolish the law altogether.
University students group Gamis today called on the government to see the Court of Appeal’s declaration as unconstitutional Section 15(5) of the University and University College Act (UUCA) as a signal to abolish the law altogether.
In a statement, Gamis president Ahmad Syazwan Muhammad Hasan called for the law to be replaced with one that embodies the spirit of the federal constitution that upholds freedom of speech.
"If the Internal Security Act is to be abolished due to pressure from the public, the same applies to the UUCA. The restrictive nature of UUCA is no different than the ISA," said Ahmad Syazwan.
He was commenting on the appellate court’s ruling that the UUCA’s Section 15 (5) is unconstitutional and violates freedom of expression.
Section 15 (5) allows public universities to take disciplinary action against students.
Four recently-graduated UKM students had sought the declaration after their university took action against them for allegedly being involved in the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign.
'Accept it'
PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, meanwhile, also hailed the court's decision as evidence that the UUCA was no longer relevant.
Describing the judgement as a “full stop” to the life of the UUCA, Shamsul called for the law to be abolished in total.
"PKR Youth urges the federal government to seriously consider based on the court's decision to abolish UUCA completely in line with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's rhetoric for political transformation," Shamsul Iskandar said in a statement today.
The ‘UKM Four’, as the former students have been dubbed, comprised of Mohd Hilman Idham, Ismail Aminuddin, Azlin Shafina Mohamad Adza and Wong King Chai.
National Association of Malaysian Muslim Students president Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin, meanwhile, urged all parties to respect the court's judgement and not to prolong it by appealing to the apex Federal Court.
"I ask that UKM to concentrate on other works. We don't want this matter to be prolonged. If necessary let it be solved out of court," he said when contacted.
He added that the ruling should serve as a lesson to universities in the country and allow freedom to students and academicians to express their opinions.
Judgements
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