UiTM had earlier cancelled the event, scheduled to be held at the university’s Dataran Cendiakawan tonight, on grounds it wanted to “maintain the harmony on campus”.

Syed Saddiq, however, said the excuse was nonsensical.

The programme titled “Interns are not Forced Labour” was intended to be a “peaceful dialogue” between students and the panelists, the Muar MP said.

“The excuse given by the university does not make sense. As an MP, I want to hear the students out.

“There is no way I am going to cause any trouble. There was no trouble at the dialogues I attended at many other universities,” he told reporters in front of the UiTM Shah Alam campus this evening.

The former youth and sports minister, who had also been barred from entering the university grounds, revealed that UiTM had agreed to reschedule the event after the fasting month if organisers invited other panelists to ensure a more balanced discussion.

Syed Saddiq then called out the university for not informing the organisers of the additional requirements.

“If the terms were negotiated earlier, tonight’s incident would not have happened,” he said, referring to the gathering outside UiTM’s gates.

The dialogue was organised by the party’s affiliate, Ikatan Mahasiswa Demokratik Malaysia.

UiTM had warned its students against participating in the event as it had not been approved.