PENANG - Just when student activists felt
that procedures for campus elections in Malaysia
could not get more restrictive, tighter
regulations were introduced during polls last
week, setting off boycotts.
As a result of
the boycotts, pro-establishment candidates swept
the board, wresting control of the student
representative councils in all 17 state-run
universities for the first time ever.
"Pro-students" groups in five state-run
universities boycotted the campus elections, while
in 10 other universities many pro-establishment
candidates won their seats uncontested. In the two
remaining universities, pro-students groups,
fighting against the
odds, were
trounced at the polls.
The flurry of
boycotts came in the face of stifling new
restrictions and alleged cases of intimidation and
harassment, which student activists claimed had
turned the polls into a farce.
"It has
become worse compared to previous years," said Soh
Sook Hwa, the administrative secretary of the
liberal Malaysian Youths and Students Democratic
Movement (DEMA), who pointed to the "the influence
of the state in trying to oppress the activism of
the students".
Soh herself is no stranger
to these restrictions, especially the overbearing
Universities and University Colleges Act, which
bars political activism on campus.
Last
year, campus authorities at the Science University
of Malaysia (USM) hauled up the then third-year
journalism student and slapped her with a 200
ringgit (US$53) fine and a warning.
Soh's
offence: showing support or sympathy for a
political party at a general election campaign
rally. The evidence? A newspaper photograph,
during the campaign, in which she was spotted
wearing an opposition party T-shirt.
The
restrictions for campus elections would be almost
comical if they were not oppressive.
To
become a candidate, a student has to obtain the
clearance of three parties: the deputy vice
chancellor for student affairs and development,
the dean of the relevant faculty and the warden of
the hostel where the student resides.
Candidates, usually in the second year or,
in some cases third year, are also required to
have a minimum grade point average (GPA) score
varying from 2.5 to 3, depending on each
university.
In the past, candidates for
seats on the student representative councils were
allowed to address small rallies on campus under
close supervision. Even so, those representing
specific constituencies were only allowed to state
their names, the course they were enrolled in,
which year they were in and their constituencies.
This year, Inter Press Service (IPS)
learned from students at one campus that even
these supervised public rallies were discontinued.
Instead, students were allowed to have their
campaign speeches recorded on video, the duration
allowed being three to five minutes depending on
the type of seat contested. Many candidates didn't
bother taking up the offer because of the boycott.
Previously, candidates could introduce
themselves to students in classrooms with the
permission of lecturers. But student activists at
one campus told IPS that candidates were now only
allowed to meet students in the classroom either
10 minutes before class or 10 minutes after.
"It is simply not practical as there is
usually no one in class [at that time]," grumbled
one pro-students candidate who eventually
boycotted the election.
The campaign
period for elections, which are almost devoid of
any serious larger issues, is way too short, "just
one-and-a-half days", said one student activist.
New e-voting procedures in a couple of campuses as
well as some decentralization of the
voting/counting process have added to the
difficulty in monitoring the polls. Others
complained that serial numbers of ballot papers
issued were recorded, undermining confidence in
the secrecy of the ballot.
Activists also
pointed to the alleged harassment of a few
candidates via SMS and anonymous phone calls to a
few of their families warning that candidates
could face suspension from university. "We heard
from the candidates' seniors that the SMS messages
were along the lines of 'I know what you did last
summer'," said one activist. They also spoke of
cases of alleged intimidation by campus officials.
So it was little wonder that student
groups and many candidates decided to throw in the
towel. "I decided to boycott the polls because I
felt the system was not fair," one candidate told
IPS. "I mean, I had prepared my own manifesto, but
I was not allowed to announce it in class. The
students only get to know my name and face. So
what's the point?"
Some wonder why there
are all these restrictions on campus elections. It
is not as if the students' representative councils
themselves exercise much influence.
"They
have no power to be involved in any
decision-making process [on campus]," Soh said.
They exist as a body to be consulted by the
university administration, say, when hostel fees
are to be hiked.
So why are campus
authorities so uptight? The answer lies probably
in the fear among the establishment that
opposition Malay-Muslim political parties such as
Parti Islam Malaysia (PAS) are making inroads into
campus life.
And now, with former deputy
premier, Anwar Ibrahim, himself a former student
activist, trying to revive an opposition political
coalition, the authorities seem to be taking no
chances.
Opposition politicians from
Anwar's People's Justice Party have alleged that
the junior wings of the ruling United Malays
National Organization had held briefings with
friendly students' groups to discuss strategy
during the campus elections.
The tough new
restrictions have disturbed many Malaysians. "It
sounds like it is getting outrageous, especially
as it is happening under the watch of [Prime
Minister] Abdullah Badawi, whom many had expected
to be more liberal than [his predecessor] Mahathir
[Mohamad]," said one university lecturer, who
declined to be identified.
"They just want
to make sure they conquer all the universities,"
the lecturer added.
