This was revealed by Dapsy’s director of varsity affairs bureau Leong Yu Sheng in a statement released today.
Referring to four students – Anis Syafiqah Md Yusof, Muhammad Luqman Nul Haqim Zul Razali, Muhammad Luqman Hakim Mohd Fazli and Suhail Wan Azahar – who were previously suspended for participating in the #TangkapMO1 rally on Aug 27, Leong said the disciplinary hearing by Universiti Malaya yesterday was “not to give a trial, but to assign legal punishment”.
“During the proceedings in UM, the panel of the disciplinary board had admitted that the higher education ministry and police instructed the university to take action against those who were involved in the #TangkapMO1 rally.
“In other words, the proceeding was held not to give a trial, but to assign legal punishment to the four UM students under the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA),” Leong said.
He accused the ministry and police of using UM’s disciplinary board as a political tool to oppress innocent students just because they had criticised the 1MDB scandal.
On Oct 22, the university had issued a letter to the four students, summoning them for the disciplinary hearing yesterday.
The university had charged that the students acted in a manner detrimental and prejudicial to the interests and good reputation of the university, acted in a manner detrimental to public safety and had violated the university’s regulations.
After attending the six-hour disciplinary hearing yesterday, the four students were told by the panel that the proceedings had been postponed to Dec 9.
Anis said the panel wanted to give the students a chance to understand the charges brought against them.
“Dapsy demand the proceeding be stopped due to serious political interference from the government toward the university disciplinary board. The disciplinary board is biased and has no interest in delivering justice for the students.
“For the past 45 years, the UUCA had been used by the government to suppress the basic and fundamental rights of students guaranteed by our Federal Constitution,” Leong said, adding that the UUCA is unconstitutional and a violation of the freedom of expression..
On Aug 27, over 2,000 people, mostly youths under the age of 30, participated in the gathering, which called on the authorities to pursue “Malaysian Official 1”, mentioned in the US Department of Justice report on alleged embezzlement of 1MDB funds.
Police nabbed seven students, including Anis Syafiqah, and said they were being investigated under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, the Sedition Act 1948 and for threatening parliamentary democracy.
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