A group of University Malaya (UM) students have urged their new vice-chancellor Rafiah Salim to ensure that the coming campus polls is fair and transparent.

A student coalition, which calls itself Gagasan Mahasiswa UM (GMUM), submitted a memorandum with nine demands to Rafiah this morning.

Among the demands are to allow the Human Rights Organisation of Malaysia (Suhakam) as well as rights groups Suaram and Hakam to act as observers in the election.

They also want an independent committee to be set up to handle complaints from candidates, the candidates be allowed to make their speeches freely, serial number on votes should not be recorded on the voters list and for the election campaign period to be extended from the current two to five days.

GMUM representatives Tan Yu Keong and Abdullah Mohd Salleh told a press conference later that the memorandum was received by an officer as Rafiah was said to be in a meeting.

Last year's campus polls was marred by allegations of irregularities and intimidation. Several students were also hauled-up by the campus authority for voicing their disgruntlement.

The GMUM memorandum recorded the irregularities, which included allegations of a biased election committee, non-transparent investigation and appealing committee, voters being intimidated by the hostel management to vote for particular candidates, serial number on the votes recorded on the voters' list and candidates being barred from campaigning.

Political intervention

Asked on the allegation that the last campus polls also saw political intervention, Abdullah said they had no concrete evidence although they knew about it.

"That's why we want out-campus NGOs to become observers in the election, they can reveal such incidents.

"We hope the campus authority prepared to avoid those untoward incidents from happening again," he said, adding that the coming election could be held next month.

Previously, Suhakam commissioner N Siva Subramaniam said the Higher Education Ministry rejected the request from human rights groups to monitor the campus elections.

The coming campus polls will be the first under the leadership of Rafiah who made history after becoming the first woman to be appointed as vice-chancellor in May.

GMUM is a coalition of UM's 'anti-establishment' student groups, comprising UM Islamic Students Association (PMIUM), UM Association of New Youth (Umany) and Malaysia Friends of Islam Club (Karisma).

Campus elections are divided along the lines of partisan politics, with the 'pro-establishment' team said to be sponsored by the university authorities and backed by the government while their rival 'anti-establishment' faction is seen as leaning towards the opposition.

In the allegation-riddled last campus polls, all 17 public universities nationwide for the first time in history were won by 'pro-establishment' students camps amid boycotts at five major universities.