news analysis

Student activism in Malaysia's political arena has been in deep slumber since the far-reaching amendments to the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA) in 1975.

The amendments prohibited students from joining or aligning themselves with political parties and dissolved all autonomous student organisations - which were substituted by student representative councils that possessed little power, freedom and authority.

The amendments came about after a series of mass demonstrations by students in 1974, against the prevalent poverty among peasants in Kedah and the plight of squatters in Johor Baru.

The demonstration saw the arrest of more than 1,000 students. Several student leaders, government critics and youth leaders were also held under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Among them, was former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, who was detained for almost two years.

Last Thursday, a student activist, swayed by the calls of reform made by Anwar after his sacking from the government in 1998, was detained under the ISA for being a threat to national security.

The Institut Kemahiran Mara (IKM) student, Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin, was said to be arrested in connection with the anti-ISA demonstration involving university students at the National Mosque on June 8.

It was also reported that the arrest was to facilitate police investigations into the pre-dawn fire which destroyed the historic Dewan Tunku Canselor in University Malaya (UM) last Friday.

Yesterday, police detained yet another student leader, Mohamad Fuad Mohd Ikhwan, under the ISA.

'Militant students'

The police have been keeping tabs on Khairul for some time. In May, its special branch (SB) unit had sent a report to the IKM authorities claiming that Khairul was "involved in a reformasi motivational workshop intended to spur reformists to carry out plans to overthrow the government through street demonstrations".

The fact that the SB had sent such a report did not come as a surprise to many but the use of the ISA did, as it was rare for the government to use the Act, which allows for detention without trial, on students.

It is a known fact that Khairul was a reformasi activist who believed that 'political changes' were needed to ensure a better future. He had been vocal in campaigning against the use of ISA, corruption, cronyism and bad governance.

Khairul is among the many students who have become increasingly vocal about their criticism towards the government and its leaders.

The spotlight fell on these students following the fire in University Malaya. Umno politicians had alleged that the blaze was the work of students, executed as a sign of protest against Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The premier himself said there were now signs of militancy emerging among students with anti-government leanings in local higher learning institutions.

The politicians claim that these students have become bolder in their opposition of the government. This was evident in the student publication, Varsiti 2001 , which contained anti-government articles.

The Universiti Malaya Students' Council, which is in charge of publishing the annual magazine, denied producing the 'false' publication and has lodged a police report.

The pro-government National Malaysian Youth Association (PPNM) identified 10 student bodies with anti-government leanings. These include, Peninsular Islamic Students Coalition (Gamis) - an unregistered group, comprising staunch PAS supporters and the Gathering of Islamic Graduates of Selangor.

PPNM had also lodged a police report against Gamis for carrying out illegal activities in various public varsities.

Another unregistered student movement which is under scrutiny, is the Abolish ISA Student Movement (GMMI), The movement, which is backed by at least 12 other student groups, is very active in pursuing its cause.

Disciplinary actions

Among GMMI's campaign, was the June 8 anti-ISA protest at the National Mosque which resulted in six student activist being detained. However, they were released on police bail the next day.

The six students were told to report to the Dang Wangi police district headquarters on July 19 to find out what action will be taken against them.

However on June 22, one of the arrested students, Rafzan Ramli was expelled from Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara (UiTM) after its disciplinary committee found him guilty of tarnishing the image of the institution.

Meanwhile, last Wednesday, three International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) students were questioned by campus authorities over their involvement in the demonstration while two Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) students are facing disciplinary action for selling anti-ISA badges.

There is also the Malaysia Youth and Students Democratic Movement (Dema) which is fighting for the abolishment of the UUCA, apart from opposing nepotism, cronyism and 'unjust' distribution of the nation's wealth.

Another organisation, though not directly linked to any local varsity, is the Universiti Bangsar Utama (UBU) movement. This movement has a loose membership of between 100 and 150 undergraduates.

UBU tries to evoke changes in society by producing stage dramas that promote ideas of reform. Khairul (the first student detained) is a member of UBU.

Following his arrest, police raided UBU's office in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur and confiscated several items from the premises.

The patron of UBU is a former student leader, Hishamuddin Rais - who is currently undergoing a two-year ISA detention.

During the height of student activism in the mid-70s, Hishamuddin had eluded a police dragnet and subsequently went into exile for about 20 years.

Hishamuddin was among 10 opposition leaders and reformasi activists detained under the ISA in a police crackdown launched in early April. They were detained for allegedly planning to overthrow the government through militant means.

Among them, six, including Hishamuddin, have been sent to the Kamunting detention camp in Perak to undergo a two-year detention.

Strong signal

All this while, student groups were 'punished' by the universities for their misdemeanors but this changed following the police's decision to arrest the students for participating in the demonstration.

The use of the ISA is to send a strong signal to these student groups. The fear now is that the government will use whatever means possible to stop these students from turning universities into a hotbed for political movements similar to that in the 1970s.

The government's view on what students should be doing, was recently described by Mahathir who said, "Study first, politics later".

In a nutshell, this means the government is only interested in producing brainy students who will be the government's future "yes-men".