The motion calling for the removal of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's picture from the walls of his alma mater, University of Nottingham in the UK, has been defeated with overwhelming majority.

The motion was tabled before the Nottingham Malaysian Society at its annual general assembly yesterday.

The debate on the motion centred around its impact on current and future government-sponsored scholars at the University of Nottingham, Cassandra Chung, who proposed the motion, said.

The motion was to compel the society to lobby the university to remove the picture, following corruption allegations against the premier.

"We most certainly hope this is not the end of any sort of activism among Malaysian students in UK. Who knows?

"Maybe this whole incident has sparked some crazy first-year kid’s inner passion in this field; we certainly hope so anyway.

"Maybe this whole incident is but a small step in changing the entire student activism landscape among Malaysians in the UK and Eire," the student said.

The picture is one meter tall and is part of a long banner featuring alumnus on a wall at King's Meadow Campus.

Speaking to Malaysiakini , Chung cautioned against blaming government-funded scholars for the motion’s defeat.

“Yes, I saw some (government-funded) scholars oppose it but I also saw self-funded people do the same, so it is not fair to pin the blame completely on scholars,” she said.

A total 4,826 signed Chung’s online petition on the same matter, but the petition is open to all Malaysians and not just members of the Nottingham Malaysian Society.

The student also received threats of violence against her and her family from a Najib supporter.

The University of Nottingham also has a campus in Semenyih, Selangor.

To those of you who don't already know,The motion was defeated by an overwhelming majority. I hope this whole...

Posted by Cassandra Chung on Wednesday, March 16, 2016