Umno Youth was not interfering in campus affairs when it submitted to a local varsity last week a list of the students said to be involved in anti-government activities, Deputy Education Minister Senator Abdul Aziz Samsudin said today.

He defended Umno Youth, saying that they acted because they felt responsible for preserving the role of institutes of higher learning in educating future leaders.

"Umno Youth was not interfering in the university's administration," Abdul Aziz told a press conference after officiating a function organised by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Selangor, on the history of the 50-year-old institution.

"They just felt that since these universities were built using the government's money and as members of the ruling party, they had to act to ensure security on campuses," he added.

Last week, Universiti Malaya (UM) vice-chancellor Prof Anuar Zaini Mohd Zin said he had received from Umno Youth, a blacklist of students allegedly active in propagating an anti-government agenda in local universities.

Anuar reportedly said that he will cooperate with the police to identify these students for action to be taken against them.

The list was said to contain names of non-UM students as well.

Abdul Aziz commended Umno Youth for their move, saying, "Their intention was good even though the way of doing it may be disputed by certain parties."

He said 'any good citizen' should come forward and assist the authorities if they knew of any student activities which could 'wreck' universities.

Negative activities

Abdul Aziz said the present scenario on certain university campuses had turned into a national security issue and the government had no qualms taking drastic actions, including invoking the Internal Security Act (ISA) against students who created trouble.

"If student activities get out of control, they will spill over from the campuses and affect our society," he said.

Citing the example of Tiananmen Square incident in China in the late 1980s, Abdul Aziz said, "If there was no firm rule then, there would be no China today."

In 1989, pro-democracy student movements in Beijing staged an uprising but were subsequently suppressed by the armed forces. Officials later reported some 200 deaths in the clampdown.

Asked to comment on the recent call by several government leaders to amend the existing Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA), Abdul Aziz said certain provisions under the Act should be tightened to ensure students are not influenced by negative activities.

Denying that the call was meant to impede the freedom of students, he warned that if freedom is not exercised responsibly, it can ruin the peace and harmony of the country.

Student arrests

Last Sunday, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that the UUCA may be reviewed to deter students from engaging in negative activities.

Yesterday, Malay daily Utusan Malaysia quoted Abdul Aziz as saying that the Education ministry will expedite the review of the Act and forward its suggestions to the Cabinet soon.

Two weeks ago, police arrested two student activists under the ISA. They are president of UM student representative council Mohamad Fuad Mohd Ikhwan and Institut Kemahiran Mara (IKM) student Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin.

Mohamad Fuad was released yesterday while Khairul is still in police custody.