In a statement, Hishamuddin said just as he was about to speak at the discussion titled “Reformasi Struktural: Mahathir dan Anwar lagi?”, he was told by organisers that the UKM administration did not allow the programme to continue.
He said the event was organised by a group called “Diskopi”, comprising UKM lecturers and students.
“It is regrettable. In the new Malaysia, I am still facing obstructions and oppression, there are still attempts to stop me from debating and bringing a change of mindsets.”
He said universities were a place where all sorts of knowledge should be presented, argued and discussed.
“I take my hat off to Diskopi for having the courage to host informative and intellectual discussions.
“I urge the education minister to study and review outdated policies still used on university campuses, like what I faced in UKM.”
Azmina Nordin, a UKM student who is part of Diskopi, said this was not the first time such a discussion was being held and that the university grounds should be fully utilised for intellectual discussions.
“The programme had to be cancelled because Hisham did not want a confrontation with the auxiliary police and university administrators,” she said, adding this was the first time he had gone to the university after being stopped on numerous occasions by the previous administration.
“Is the university really serious and ready to be more open in line with the agenda of academic freedom and university autonomy?
“It is as if the ideas and agenda of the education ministry differ from UKM,” Azmina said.
Meanwhile, Malaysiakini quoted UKM vice-chancellor Noor Azlan Ghazali as saying that the university had no record of the event and another group of students had booked the venue for the same time.
Saying the university had no problem with Hishamuddin speaking at its campus in Bangi, Selangor, Noor Azlan urged students to discuss and register their programmes with the university especially if it involved an external audience.
“It is not so much about vetting the programme, but to make sure things like this can be avoided. I mean, sometimes everybody claims to use the same venue at the same time.
“We want to make sure security is in order, and also that someone is in charge and responsible for the programme. At least we (would) have some information,” he was quoted as saying.
Noor Azlan also denied that UKM was not abiding by Education Minister Maszlee Malik’s call for universities to be open for discourse.