KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — A group of students, including Universiti Malaya’s (UM) union leader Fahmi Zainol, were allegedly shoved around by security personnel during a free speech event in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s (UKM) speakers corner last night.
According to UKM student union chief Abdul Kahar Hamzah, the students were each only allowed two minutes to speak at the venue, which is meant to be a free platform for undergraduates to express themselves.
He said Fahmi was invited as a guest speaker, but the varsity management and its security members tried to stop him and the other students from entering the university, even locking the gates ahead of the event.
“The university also issued letters threatening the undergraduates against participating in the event, claiming that it was not authorised.
“The speakers’ corner is a public arena where all students are permitted to speak their mind without approval or permission from the university,” Abdul Kahar said in a statement today.
“The police were also brought in to help the university’s security to frighten the undergraduates from gathering to hear the speeches,” he claimed, before challenging UKM for an explanation on the fiasco.
Although the event, which was purportedly attended by some 300 students, was allowed to proceed, Abdul Kahar questioned the two-minute time restriction placed on each speaker.
“Security even worsened the situation when they shoved and tried to grab the microphone from the students who were delivering their speeches,” he said.
“We were treated like criminals,” he added.
Fahmi has gained infamy among law enforcement authorities and his university’s management, but was hailed as a hero among his peers and the Opposition bench for organising a programme titled, “40 Years: From University of Malaya to Jail”, in which Opposition leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim spoke of his vocal student activist days.
The event saw the rise of UM students led by Fahmi, which political analysts have labelled as the ‘third force’ in the country’s political arena.
Last Thursday, the UM administration issued a show-cause letter to Fahmi for organising the event, which saw students breaking into the university’s compound after it was sealed with heavy security.
UM had warned Fahmi that he would be suspended from his studies and fined RM200 if he did not cancel the event, which it said had not been approved.
When contacted by the Malay Mail online two days ago, UM officer K. Puniamurthy said Fahmi has yet to reply to a show-cause letter that carried a 24hour deadline, adding that the student affairs division has reported this to the Vice-Chancellor’s office.
