Sabah, peninsula students form 'Haram' alliance to pressure Parliament

In their effort to continue addressing student and public issues, five student groups have come together to form a new movement called the Malaysians Advocacy Assembly (Penubuhan Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia), or Haram.

The movement’s spokesperson, Muhammad Danial Qayyum Mohammad Akashah, stated that the lack of synergy between student groups in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah is a key reason for their collaboration.

“The lack of synergy has led to raised issues not being achieved. We firmly believe the student movement's voice is crucial and will always be a beacon for the people.

“Therefore, Haram serves as an organisation that values and amplifies the student movement in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah,” he said during a press conference yesterday.

Haram comprises five groups - Suara Mahasiswa Universiti Malaya Sabah (UMS), Suara Siswa Universiti Malaya, Demokratik Siswa, Demokrat Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Kongres International Islamic University Malaysia.

With the establishment of Haram, Danial said they are ready to get the ball rolling, including handing out memorandums and meeting MPs while Parliament is in session.

He said the group focuses not only on student issues, such as university water supply but also on homelessness and statelessness in the country.

While most of its members are students and graduates, he affirmed that Haram will also address public concerns - including lack of education, homelessness, and statelessness.

Suara Mahasiswa UMS representative Hamdin Nordin said the movement is open to criticism and dialogue.

“We celebrate differences. If other groups criticise or want to hold a dialogue, we welcome it,” he said.

Water woes in Sabah

Before the press conference, the movement held a forum where Hamdin discussed the #KamiMahuAirSabah rally on June 14, during which nine people were arrested.

Hamdin claimed that Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Shahelmey Yahya was sarcastic and rude about the rally, leading them not to submit their memorandum on the university and state’s water woes.

“He told us to come to him and said we were just pretending. How can we respect a leader who was rude to us?

“During elections, you were polite to get votes. Now, as the administration, when students and the public want to meet you, you say we are pretending. This is the problem with politicians,” he said.

Hamdin also accused the state government of blaming the water issues on squatters living near the university.

After meeting a representative from the Sabah Water Department (SWD), Hamdin said the state's water woes were due to a lack of supply.

The representative told him that as 18 million litres per day (MLD) of water were misappropriated, the department could only supply 80 MLD when the Sepanggar district, where UMS is located, required 200 MLD.

“It's not the squatter's fault. Sabah simply doesn’t have enough water supply. So don’t blame others to cover the real issue,” he added.

UMS needs audit

Therefore, Hamdin and his fellows called for an audit report on UMS to see where the money allocated to solve the water woes is and what is the progress so far.

Echoing the same sentiment, Demokrat UKM representative Brendon Gan demanded that answers be given to UMS students who paid their tuition fees and taxpayers.

“I don’t deny the effort made by the government but what is the update? Voters and taxpayers are waiting for an answer.

“Why not set up a body to audit the matter?” he asked.

In January, Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir allocated RM2 million to tackle longstanding water issues at UMS following a student protest.

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