A students' coalition has called for the immediate dissolution of the student representatives' council in each public university, and for the higher education ministry to announce the date of the annual campus elections .

The Malaysia Students Solidarity, a coalition of eight national student bodies, pointed out that the councils would be acting "illegally" from now, as their one-year term of office ends today.

Section 48 (4) of the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) states that members of the council and its office-bearers shall be elected for a period of one year.

"As they were elected on Sept 15 last year, today is the last day of their term and any of their activities hereafter shall be deemed as illegal. They do not have any power," said coalition president Ahmad Rifaudin Abdul Wahab.

At a press conference in Universiti Malaya today, Ahmad Rifaudin said the student councils should be replaced by a 'caretaker student government' pending fresh elections.

He reiterated that the UUCA should be abolished on grounds that it is being abused by the government and campus authorities to control the students.

"One of these conspiracies is the deliberately delay in dissolving the students council," he claimed.

'Umno interference'

Ahmad Rifaudin ( left ) further said the ministry should fix the nomination date for fresh elections on Sept 26, and set the polling date on Oct 4 to allow for an adequate campaign period. Students had strongly protested campaign periods as short as one day in past years.

The government standardised the date of campus elections several years ago to provide for a simultaneous exercise nationwide, a move seen as a way to prevent students from assisting one another during campaigning.

The student council was once deemed the most powerful student body in a campus, but its authority eroded after the student movement peaked in the 1970s and further deteriorated after the birth of reformasi in 1999.

Ahmad Rifaudin expressed disappointment with alleged interference of Umno, the dominant party in the ruling Barisan Nasional, in order to secure the victory of 'pro-establishment' faction candidates in campuses.

He urged the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia to monitor the situation and stressed that students should be allowed to participate in free and fair campus elections.

Democracy 'dead'

Federation of Malaysian Islamic Graduates president Badrul Hanif ( right ), who attended the press conference, said reports that students had been intimidated during campus elections have "killed democracy" in campuses.

He also noted that there have been many complaints of irregularities during the elections.

"Previously, we were (only) threatened verbally. Today, physical threats are being made. Students' rooms are ransacked at midnight as if they possess weapons that pose a threat to national security," said Badrul.

"These actions a la the communists have turned the atmosphere in campuses into something akin to the years of 'Emergency' rule. Muslims students who go to pray in the mosque also fear being accused with various things," he said, without elaborating.

Malaysia Youth and Students Democratic Movement representative Simon Ooi and Syamsul Azura Abd Sani of the 'UM undergraduates front supporters club' were also at the event.