Higher Education Minister Dr Shafie Salleh said today that he does not intend to interfere in the on-going disciplinary hearings against students in public universities.

"I have no power to advise them (university authorities) on what to do. Under the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA), it's up to the university concerned (to take action). The minister comes in only during the appeal," he told a press conference in the Parliament lobby.

Commenting on the Parliamentary human rights caucus' support for the students, he stressed that as long as the current legislation is still in place, all proceedings have to follow the law.

"In the system now, I just act as an appeal court being the minister in-charge. We have to follow the law. Normally students will appeal to me, then only will I take action. At the early stages, I cannot (interfere) as it is against the law to do so," he said.

Caucus chairperson and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz has pledged his support for the students who have been charged by the universities for alleged involvement in activities that breached the UUCA.

He said the charges against the students were too trivial and that he would persuade Shafie to drop the cases.

Fair comment

To date, 10 student activists from University of Malaya (UM), University Putra Malaysia (UPM) and University Sains Malaysia (USM) have been summoned for disciplinary hearings by their respective universities.

They were hauled up after they protested against alleged malpractices in the September campus elections .

In an immediate response, Nazri said it was 'fair' that the students have to follow the normal procedures first and then seek the minister's interference when it comes to the appeal satge.

"Everything we do must be in accordance with rules and regulations. At the moment, if there is no appeal to the minister, then there's nothing you can do. We just have to wait until it has gone up to him (Shafie)," he said.

In another development, Shafie said that he is studying a list of members proposed to sit in the committee to review the UUCA which he received yesterday.

Asked on the amendments expected, he said he would leave it to the committee.