KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 — In the six weeks since October 27, the night of the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim talk, they’ve been in limbo, wondering, waiting and hoping for a positive answer from Universiti Malaya (UM) authorities on their disciplinary case.

Earlier this week, the eight UM students charged with violating university regulations for organising the talk, were finally served their sentences - only one walked scot-free while the remaining seven were slapped with suspensions and fines. Two of the eight were given both.

The authorities have since painted them as troublemakers, out to disturb the peace for a little media attention.

Others, however, say the youths, now dubbed the “UM8”, are young, budding activists fighting to have their voices heard, armed only with the dream of restoring academic freedom in Malaysia.

So who are the UM8 - Rabble rousers or freedom fighters?

Adam Fistival Wilfrid: I am a freedom fighter

Adam Fistival Wilfrid, one of the UM8, said that he was spurred on by the “truth” as he made more discoveries about the events happening in Malaysia.

“And for me, I can’t let the truth just be like that and I must fight for it...I am a freedom fighter, that’s all,” the final year Computer Science undergraduate told a 60-strong crowd at Sekolah Aktivisme’s forum yesterday.

Even while preparing for the October 27 talk that would catapult the eight students into the national limelight, Adam was ready to face the possible disciplinary consequences and figuratively “die” for the sake of making changes.

“And then they asked me, ‘don’t you want to think about what type of discipline, what kind of punishment will be given after this?’ I told them ‘don’t worry, we are all ready to die’. Because this is it.

“I said we want to change something. It’s been a long time already I think about what’s something that we can do to change,” the Universiti Malaya Student Council (PMUM) representative said, adding that his team decided to go on with their plans.

Safwan Shamsuddin: Once fearful, now fearless

Safwan Shamsuddin, whose family had been supportive of him from the start, spoke about how knowing his rights freed him from his initial fear of the authorities that he had experienced as a first-year student.

“It (Courage) comes when we know our rights and know what we are doing is the right thing,” said the chairman of ruling student faction Pro-Mahasiswa, also saying that his one-semester suspension and RM300 fine would not douse his spirit to fight on.

Safwan, a third-year Islamic Studies student, said they were not in it for popularity, but were inspired by past student leaders and did not want the current generation of students to feel fearful.

Khairol Najib Hashim: I told Mum I was not committing murder but doing a good thing

For Khairol Najib Hashim, he had to convince his parents - who were “orang kampung” or village folks - that he was not doing a wrongful thing, while his family members including a sister in the civil service initially found it difficult to accept his activism.

“’Mak, anak mak ni bukan bunuh orang, anak mak ni buat benda yang baik, buat benda yang baik untuk orang yang akan datang, mak hantar saya untuk belajar - untuk apa? Untuk buat perubahan kan,” he said, as he recalled the long conversation that he had with his family. (Translation: “Mother, your son, is not killing anyone, your son is doing a good thing, doing a good thing for those who will come, you sent me to study, for what? To make changes.”)

In the heartwarming tale, Khairol said even his brother who worked as a policeman was now showing his support, highlighting how the latter used the “thumbs up” emoticon in text messages.

Abraham Au: I was told to delete my Facebook account

Abraham Au, the only one among the UM8 who escaped punishment, spoke of how his parents - both retired civil servants - had been “paranoid” over how their son may risk his spot in university and his scholarship.

He said his relatives were similarly as “paranoid”, and an aunt even “commanded” him to delete a Facebook post, and later, urged him to deactivate his entire Facebook account.

“I had to comply, because their generation - they were still under the climate of fear, especially during Ops Lalang and how their generation were really oppressed during Tun Mahathir’s time,” the third-year law student said, referring to the government crackdown under former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s administration.

“A few minutes later, she said ‘Oh you deleted it right. Now deactivate your Facebook account’,” the PMUM representative said as he recalled the “stress” he was put under.

But the intervention of a lecturer, who spoke to the student leaders’ parents, telling them that their children were actually “freedom fighters” shaping the next generation with the support of many UM academic staff, had helped changed their minds, Au said.

Au, noted that the Universities and Universities Colleges Act (UUCA) was not entirely bad as it allowed for the recognition of degrees issued by universities, but singled out Sections 16 and 17 as clauses that restrict students’ activities and which needed to be scrapped.

But the challenge in abolishing the restrictions in the UUCA is to change the “mentality” of university students from caring only about their grades and being unconcerned with this law, he said.

“You can’t just scrape the AUKU if the students who are supposed to benefit from the scrapping of AUKU isn’t cooperating. And that is the first step,” he said, referring to the UUCA by its Malay initials.

Haw Yu Hong: Not luck or fate, but a chance to make a change

Haw Yu Hong, who never thought of being a student activist and was in a way “forced” to join campus elections, now thinks that “it is right for every student to become one”.

The third year UM student said it was not luck or destiny that would see him graduating as part of the UM8, but stressed that it was an “opportunity” to make a difference.

“The next time when I look back at the fight that we have actually fought, I can proudly tell the juniors that I have been given the opportunity to fight.

“I’m standing in this position to voice out. I’m at the forefront of the fight. I was there and I took the opportunity to fight. So I think this is an opportunity for us and I think I’ve learnt a lot,” the then PMUM vice-president said.

Khairul Anwar: No regrets. If not us, who will stand?

Fellow UM8 student leader, Khairul Anwar, said he did not feel any regret, and even expressed pride at being able to stand up for the other students.

“I feel proud, because if I don’t stand up, (if) we don’t stand up, who else will stand up to free us? And if we continue on the student mentality, until when will the university be like a school,” the third year undergraduate in education said.

Two of the UM8 — outgoing PMUM president Fahmi Zainol and secretary-general Nur Syamimi Munirah — were unable to attend the forum.

In the same forum yesterday, PKR’s Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, DAP’s Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming, the Bar Council’s National Young Lawyers’ Committee (NYLC)’s chairman Syahredzan Johan, student activist Adam Adli Abdul Halim also addressed the crowd.

Organised by youth movement UndiMsia through its Sekolah Aktivisme initiative, the forum was held in conjunction with the launching of its “Siswa Merdeka” campaign to support the UM8 students and press for the reversal of the penalties imposed on them.

Earlier this week, a UM inquiry panel decided to suspend Fahmi for two semesters and fine him RM600, while also fining four students - Haw, Nur Syamimi, Adam and Khairul Anwar - RM150 each. Khairol Anwar was slapped with a “strong caution” but was not fined.

All seven who were punished will be appealing the punishment over their role in the October 27 “40 Years: From University of Malaya to Jail” talk which had featured UM alumni Anwar, ahead of the latter’s appeal against his second sodomy charge.