The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has taken the necessary actions to push for greater freedoms for university students.

During a 30-minute meeting with a delegation of 10 students from the Malaysian Graduates Solidarity (SMM) group at the Suhakam office in Kuala Lumpur today, commissioner N Siva Subramaniam said Suhakam had written to the Ministry of Higher Education explaining the demands made by the student movement.

"Suhakam does not keep quiet after receiving memorandums from students. We have submitted a set of demands asking the ministry to restudy the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA) in September last year," he added.

Apart from this, the memorandums are also brought to the attention of all commissioners and discussed in their meetings.

Siva was responding to a student representative who said that the movement has been submitting memorandums to Suhakam every year since 2005 and it has become an annual affair.

The commissioner said Suhakam feels that some aspects of the UUCA needs to be fine tuned and amended.

For example, he said, Section 15 and 16 of the Act limits freedom of expression and association of the students, which indirectly affects the campus elections.

"I personally feel that students are now very responsible, and we (Suhakam) are also of the view that the laws passed during (former premier) Dr Mahathir Mohamad's era is not applicable for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration. The laws are outdated," he said.

SMM submitted the memorandum to Siva after a 30-minute peaceful march by some 200 students of higher education institutions from Masjid Negara to the Suhakam office.

The march, jointly organised by several student movements like Dema, University Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) and Malaysian National Muslim Students Association (Gamis) demanded for Suhakam's intervention in campus elections that will be held soon.

Political intervention

During the meeting, student representatives asked Siva if Suhakam would send its officers to monitor the campus elections.

"Even if we wanted to send somebody to monitor the elections, university officials do not permit us to do so," replied the commissioner.

He said Suhakam's requests to send representatives in the past have been rejected by the universities.

Responding to SMM president Sheikh Omar Ali's query on the intervention of political parties in campus elections, Siva said: "We have also heard about it. But there was once a vice-chancellor of a university who punished a student who was involved in this. So let's hope for more changes."

Siva, who condemned political intervention in campus elections, said that political parties should not corrupt the minds of students.

"Unity starts in schools and universities, and politics should not enter campus grounds," he said, adding that the government must "walk its talk" that it will not allow politics to enter universities.

Siva also urged students to stay united in their fight for a fairer campus elections. "We need not fear what others say. You fight for what you believe in. Somebody else will continue to fight even if you lose."

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