Immediately withdraw all disciplinary charges against six UPM students.

There should be no obstacles from the government to stop UPM students from meeting outsiders especially local community leaders when the students plan to have briefings and dialogue with them on the disciplinary cases charged against them by the authority. The campus authority should also immediately withdraw all the disciplinary charges against the six students as the charges are all of arbitrary charges with ill intentions to create a culture of fear among students in standing up for truth and students rights in the campus.

It has been highlighted in the press that the briefing organized by UPM Students Progressive Front (Gerakan Mahasiswa Maju UPM) with Seri Kembangan Small and Medium Industries Federation had to be called off at the eleventh hour due to interference from Special Branch from Bukit Aman Police Headquarters that such briefing, which is scheduled to be held in the office of Seri Kembangan Small and Medium Industries Federation, is an illegal gathering.

Such interference from Special Branch (which is another state machinery) other than the campus authority is indeed another ill-intention effort to kill off the struggle of students rights struggle in the campus.

Such interference from the Special Branch must be strongly condemned as we must regard these UPM students are also mature citizens whose constitutional rights are preserved and protected by the Federal Constitution. The members of the Seri Kembangan SMI Federation are also taxpayers like other normal Malaysians whose money are utilized to support all expenses in UPM. It is their constitutional right to know what exactly are happening in the campus.

More importantly, if campus authority keep suppressing the genuine struggle from the students for their rights as citizen of Malaysia, manipulating students representatives election and resort to various suppressive and oppressive methods to threathen students, what are the difference between our universities with secret societies? What is the difference between our Vice Chancellors and Deputy Vice Chancellors with the Tai Ko in secret societies?

And it is very disappointing that the Special Branch of Police Headquarters in Mukit Aman even went further to deny the rights of commoners and members of public to understand the real situations taken place in the campus. As such, there is no reason for us not to feel worried, especially on the future development of human rights in Malaysia.

Is the campus authority of UPM trying to ‘bonzai’lised our students? Or they merely want students nowadays to be quiet followers? Else, UPM should not only allow members of public to attend the disciplinary proceeding of the six, allow the six to bring in their lawyers, but also to immediately withdraw all disciplinary charges against them, while there should be no interference from the police against any briefings or dialogue organized by the students with outsiders.

The police should to uphold and not to suppress the struggle for justice.

Lau Weng San