Three Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) students have been issued with show-cause letters for allegedly campaigning for Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua during the recently-concluded general election.

The students received the letters dated April 1 from university authorities and have been given a week - until Thursday - to respond, said student sources who requested anonymity.

The trio are said to have campaigned for Chua in the Batu parliamentary seat, which he lost to Barisan Nasional (BN).

It is learnt that the university based its action on two photographs - published in a vernacular daily during the election campaign - of the students in a market.

Two of the three have just completed their final year while the other is a second-year student.

Under the university's regulations, it will arrange a hearing if it finds that the explanation given by the students is unsatisfactory.

The students may face disciplinary action - including a suspension or fine - if found guilty by a panel comprising university officials.

Section 15 of the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) bars students from any form of affiliation with political parties or associations.

It also prohibits students from holding any gathering of more than five people, participating in activities outside campus, engaging in part-time work, and releasing media statements without the written permission of the vice-chancellor.

'Double standard'

When contacted, Tian Chua said he could not confirm whether the three students were in his election campaign team as the group comprised a number of young people.

However he criticised the USM move as a slap in the government's face, since Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has urged students to be more politically conscious.

"It is blatant double-standards to penalise students who are supportive of the opposition. Many in Puteri Umno are students, and they go all out to campaign for BN during the election... yet, no action has been taken against them," he said.

However, Chua immediately added that, regardless of the students' political leanings, none of them should be punished for expressing a basic civil right which is protected by the Federal Constitution.

"The UUCA should be abolished," he said, adding that his party is ready to offer assistance to any student who is punished for being involved in election campaigning.

Student leader Mohamad Khairil Mohamad Razi echoed Chua and asked why action was only being taken against opposition supporters.

"I urge USM to withdraw the show-cause letters. Issuing it is a setback for students who are concerned about politics and the country," the Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia spokesperson told malaysiakini .

Right to vote, not campaign?

Independent Students Resource and Legal Training Centre spokesperson Syahrir Mahmood said the action has violated the students' basic human rights under the Federal Constitution.

"Every Malaysian (above the age of 21) has the right to vote and therefore, a right to participate directly in the election process as well," he said, adding his voice to calls for the UUCA to be repealed.

Both said they would mobilise public support for the three students, if they are punished by USM.

In the past, USM has taken disciplinary action against its students:

  • It suspended several students in 2001 for illegal assembly on the 'Vision School' issue.

  • It took disciplinary action against six students for participating in a debate competition without prior permission.

  • It punished over 30 students for illegal assembly who had gathered to support the six.