Universiti Malaya will be in lock-down with student shuttle bus services and programmes suspended for United States President Barrack Obama's visit there this Sunday.

According to a notices posted by the Student Affairs Department, the shuttle bus service will resume on Monday.

Besides that, a notice on the Universiti Malaysia Student Association (PMUM) Facebook page states that main parking lots are to be emptied starting tomorrow to ensure security as UM prepares to host Obama at a town hall meeting on campus.

 

Vehicles still parked in the vicinity of the Cultural Centre, Chancellory basement, High Impact Research building, University House, Perdanansiswa Complex and old bus terminal will be towed away.

The Petaling Jaya gate will be shut from midnight Sunday to 8pm while the Kuala Lumpur gate will be closed from 6am to 8pm the same day.

Students can only enter using the Damansara gate, a small access gate on the hilly and more obscure part of the sprawling campus.

All on-campus programmes on Sunday, including a workshop sponspored by TalentCorp called “Be The Lady”, are also postponed.

Obama is attending the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Town Hall meet at Dewan Tunku Canselor on Sunday afternoon.

UM's security efforts are a far cry to the relaxed atmosphere on campus when Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao visited UM in 2011, and faced protests.

From president to president

PMUM secretary-general Fahmi Zainol, however, cautioned his fellow students against criticising Obama's visit.

Citing the Hadith and Bible, he said that guests should be honoured without complaints.

"Thus, it is inappropriate to expel the guest who will visit the University of Malaya.

"However, the student association has its own stand on global issues related to the US. Our warm welcome does not reflect our support towards the policies of the president," he said in posting on PMUM's Facebook page.

His tempered welcome was, however, in contrast with PMUM president Muhammad Kamarul Setapa who uploaded a picture collage of himself with Obama captioned: "Welcome to Universiti Malaya from president to president".

"I am truly grateful to God for He is gracious to allow me to live until today. For many times University Malaya had the honour to be part of the visitation of world famous leaders.

"This time, we have the honour to witness the visitation of President of the United States, Barrack Obama in our university," he wrote.  

Muhammad Kamarul is also not in step with student groups Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia, UM Muslim Students Association, Pro-Mahasiswa Malaysia, Sister in Movement and Gerakan Mahasiswa Sedar who slammed the visit due to opposition to US policies.

Among others, SMM spokesperson Mohd Bukhairy Sofian called for a student boycott of the town hall meeting due to the following:

  • US support for the Egyptian Sisi administration, which has perpetuated cruelty against members of the Muslim Brotherhood;

  • Opposition towards the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, which it argued will undermine Malaysia's sovereignty but benefit the US; and

  • US' support of Israel, which has perpetuated cruelty against the people of Palestine.