LETTER | The lone protester at Universiti Malaysia's 59th convocation ceremony has caused a stir leading to subsequent events that are uncalled for. He may have won the battle to get attention but, like the Pakatan Harapan government, he may not be aware of the consequences of the win.
Some quarters say it is freedom of speech and expression and a non-issue.
Such freedoms may have emerged in the early fifth century BC and the values of the Roman Republic included freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) recognise freedom of expression as a human right. But the ICCPR later amended it to carry "special duties and responsibilities" and may "therefore be subject to certain restrictions" when necessary.
But what was the cause of the UM protest? The loner, a student activist, alleged that there were racist elements in the vice-chancellor’s (VC) speech during the Malay Dignity Congress and there was no proper platform for students to air their grouses and other issues which have not been acted upon.
The congress could have been the last straw and the convocation was the perfect stage for his "15 minutes of fame".
Let us see what we can learn from this episode and see whether we can do something for it not to recur.
Would the loner have not shown his outburst if the issues raised had been acted upon by the VC? Or is it because of the congress? What motivated him on his choice of words and did anyone motivate him for the outburst? If the VC is a "political puppet", could the student be somebody’s puppet too? Why did the VC not act on the issues raised earlier?
Is it because of a lack of funds or are there other reasons? Were there "town hall" meetings and proper information dissemination between students and administration? Were there prejudices?
This incident could be a blessing too. Questions were raised on the selection of the VC. Were there more qualified, experienced and capable candidates for the post? For me, Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz is the benchmark.
I was informed that there were hundreds of poor undergraduates at UM living on a RM5 a day meals. This is roughly or below the cost of a breakfast for those living in KL. There will be thousands if we add in all the universities. The VCs could do well if this issue can be settled first before discussing bigger things.
If we talk about freedom of expression, both the loner and the VC have their rights.
If we question the forum, depending on who you talk to, it seems the place of the outburst is not appropriate. Graduation ceremonies are something graduates look forward to and are a once-in-a-lifetime event. Just like a wedding function, if the ex-boyfriend comes around and starts shouting, it will mar the occasion and disgrace the hosts.
It does not matter whether it is for fifteen seconds or fifteen minutes. Surely the parents of the loner or anyone else would not like that to happen and don’t imagine what would happen next.
We are also talking about discipline and the lack of enforcement. Do we want our children going around without discipline with no action taken? The loner has got his 15 minutes of fame and those in power should know what to do next to prevent a recurrence.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
