As campus polls loom, covert trainings begin
As the student body elections in public universities draw nearer, politically-linked external trainers are now conducting courses for BN-aligned students, claims Universiti Malaya's (UM) Pro-Mahasiswa student coalition.
As the student body elections in public universities draw nearer, politically-linked external trainers are now conducting courses for BN-aligned students, claims Universiti Malaya's (UM) Pro-Mahasiswa student coalition.
The coalition's leader Abdul Muqit Muhammad, said an event called "Transformasi Minda", dubbed as a character-building programme, was conducted for for 43 pro-BN UM students at the Seri Menanti Resort in Negeri Sembilan from Sept 18 to 20.
Based on documents provided by the coalition, the head trainer of the event was Mohd Fairuz Khairuddin, a once a high profile Penang PKR leader who defected to Umno, which Abdul Muqit argued at a press conference at the UM campus today, was already cause for alarm.
He also provided other documents distributed to participants, among them anti-DAP propaganda that accuses the party of being a threat to Islam.
Abdul Muqit summised that the event as a clandestine "brainwashing" programme endorsed by the UM authorities who also handpicked the 43 participants.
Why be selective?
He said Pro-Mahasiswa had approached UM deputy vice-chancellor of student affairs, Rohana Yusof, about the event and she told them it was a training session to increase self-confidence among students and that it would be good for the country's development.
"The fact that they selected 43 people, which is the same as the number of seats available for contest in the UM elections, raises the possibility of a conspiracy.
"This programme is very suspicious. If this programme is to improve students, why was it not open to all students?" Abdul Muqit asked.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Students Union of UM president Mohd Bukhairy Sofian said university authorities have a history of organising covert "brainwashing" sessions prior to campus elections, such as the Ops 2020 programme in 20 universities last year.
Bukhairy said that since the campus polls were organised by each university's student affairs department, the department should be fair and should not provide favourable treatment for any faction contesting in the election.
