Students are leaders of today, not just tomorrow – Kelvin Yii

Yesterday, there was a statement by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh that said that undergraduates found to be involved in the Bersih 4 rally would face action under the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971.

I was appalled upon reading that statement not only because our higher education minister is trying to curtail the very freedom and right of our students which is enshrined under the Federal Constitution; but how he, a federal minister, is so ignorant of the law.

On November 24, 2011, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced an amendment to Section 15 of the UUCA 1971 to lift the ban on student participation in politics and allow more political freedom for university students.

Section 15(1) of the very act now states that:

“…a student of the university may become a member of any society, organisation, body or group of persons, whether in or outside Malaysia, including any political party…”

This amendment came after the landmark case known as the UKM4, where the court of appeal had ruled that Section 15(5)(a) of the act was unreasonable and violated freedom of speech guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.

For that reason, I am appalled on the ignorance of our minister on the rights of the students supposedly under his purview. Based on that, the ministry has no basis to charge any of the undergrads under the recent amended UUCA 1971, and any actions will contradict the intention of parliament.

It is worrying that the higher education minister, who should encourage greater freedom for undergraduates to develop critical thinking through greater exposure to information, instead tries to limit the freedom of thought and expression through fear and intimidation.

 What kind of students does the ministry then intends to produce?

Basically the minister’s statement intends to patronise the ability of students to make important decisions and being involved in issues of national importance. They feel they have a higher morality ground to “tame” the students whom they perceive to know nothing and thus justify taking away their inherent rights. What it does instead is handicapped our students and hold them back from achieving their full potential.

Maybe, just maybe, this is one of the reasons among many, why our education system is failing our students and we are lagging behind many others developed countries. Universities are supposed to be a safe place where students discover and be exposed to vast amounts of information and thus sharpen and forms their thinking capacity, not just fed information biased towards the people in power.

I strongly believe in fostering a conducive environment where students and lecturers are free to express their views and opinions. Students, who are more aware of issues around them and are directly involved in it, will definitely prepare them for life after graduation. This as a direct result will also empower our talent pool and thus help our ailing economy.

Some say we must protect and educate our students as they are the leaders of tomorrow. I agree with this statement to some extent, but I do believe that students and the young are the leaders of today as well and we have seen student  involvement in issues of national interest that have altered the course of history all around the world.

Because of this, we all owe a duty to educate our young, empower them and protect them from people who are trying to spread fear to lock their minds and crush their spirits.

They are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are the leaders of today. – August 26, 2015.

* Kelvin Yii reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.