Students would not be allowed to join political parties even after the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) has been amended, said Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

However, students in institutions of higher learning will be allowed to meet and discuss with politicians, including those from opposition parties.

This was said by the minister after he opened the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit organised by United Kingdom and Eire Council for Malaysian Students (UKEC) in Kuala Lumpur today.

student summits 020808 khaled nordin According to Bernama, Khaled said the proposed amendments would allow students to meet and discuss with politicians, including those from opposition parties, at seminars, forums or talks.

“I am sure that politicians will not use the same tactic during campaigning as the students are a knowledgeable lot and can judge them,” he was quoted as saying.

In the previous parliamentary session, Khaled said university students will only face disciplinary action from their university rather than prosecution if they are involved in political parties or unlawful organisations.

The Bill is set to allow politicians to enrol for courses in universities without needing to give up their political career with the final decision resting on the vice-chancellor of the university.

University students facing criminal charges, detention, restriction or imprisonment for offences committed outside campus may also be permitted to sit for examinations.

It will also provide for the setting up of a committee to advise the higher education minister on the choice of vice-chancellors and the university’s composition, management and selection of the university’s board of directors and tenure.

Debates to be monitored

Previously, Khaled had mentioned that opposition parties would be allowed to hold talks in public institutes of higher learning.

However, the topics should be submitted to the institutions beforehand and conducted in a discussion or debate format so that various parties can present their opinions.

This allowed the Higher Education Ministry to monitor and know what students were exposed to, according to Khaled.

The Bill would be debated in the next parliamentary meeting in August.

The UUCA has met with severe criticism from human rights groups and students for curbing students from actively participating in politics. Many have repeatedly called for the law to be repealed.

The law has also been portrayed as a government tool to limit dissidence among the youths. However, the government has denied this, stating that the law was merely legislated to allow students to focus on their education instead of politics.

The UKEC student conference set to run for two days is attended by about 700 Malaysian students studying in universities from all over the world.

Special guests include Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim, Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, and parliamentarians Tony Pua and Khairy Jamaluddin.