Student activist Anis Syafiqah Md Yusof today said there are no guarantees that public universities under pressure from budget cuts could raise enough funds to sustain its own operations.

"We cannot deny that many universities have their own fund-raising efforts.

"At the same time, there are no guarantees that the funds raised would be enough to cover not only its operations cost, but ensure quality," she told reporters outside Parliament today.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah Kampus Antarabangsa Labuan (UMSKAL) Pro Mahasiswa chairperson Ashraff Nazrin (photo, left) said even projects announced under the 10th Malaysia Plan for his campus had yet to be completed.

"The construction of UMSKAL lecture halls and libraries have yet to be completed until today.

"So what is the rationale for the budget cuts?" he said.

The final-year student also questioned the government's reported contribution of 10 million pounds (RM52 million) to the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) building in the UK, on top of a further RM12 million Malaysian sponsorship for construction and interior decoration of its auditorium.

Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh yesterday said all 20 public universities had successfully increased their income in the first nine months of this year.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, for example, saw its budget for this year slashed by 45 percent but reportedly managed to raise its income by 20 percent.

Anis Syafiqah, now representing student coalition Kesatuan Mahasiswa, earlier led a group of students to hold a silent protest against further varsity funding cuts announced under Budget 2017.

A group of students representing the pro-government Mahasiswa Turun Parlimen (Mantap) were watching from the sidelines and its spokesperson, Wan Siti Sarah Wan Omar, later told reporters that she believed what the students had done were a waste of time and irrelevant.

"They did not achieve anything today. But it is okay.

"Maybe they have other plans. Just that today they have failed, I am sorry to say," she said.

The Higher Education Ministry was allocated RM13.378 billion for this year, down from RM15.778 billion the previous year.

In Budget 2017, the overall allocation for Higher Education was further slashed by 10.27 percent, down to RM12.132 bilion.

The budget reduction is reportedly in line with the 2004-2014 National Higher Education Strategic Plan (PSPTN) and the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education).

The government has reportedly set a target for public universities to only rely on 30 percent of government funding by 2025, down from the current 80 to 95 percent ratio.