The Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) said it was instructed by the university’s management yesterday to cancel the forum, purportedly on grounds that the discussion would touch on sensitive topics involving the 3Rs (race, religion and royalty).

The forum, entitled “Malaysia’s Identity Crisis: Is Malaysia A Secular Country or a Religious Country?”, was to be held at UM’s Perdanasiswa Complex at 7.30pm tomorrow night, featuring constitutional lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and lawyer-activist Siti Kasim.

FMT has sought comment from the university.

It is understood that Umany will proceed with the forum and hold it at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall at 7.30pm tomorrow instead.

Umany president, Lim Jing Jet accused UM of interfering in student affairs and suppressing academic freedom by scrapping the forum.

Lim, who is also deputy president of the UM Student Union, said the forum was meant to allow for rigorous academic discussions on Malaysia’s constitutional framework and identity.

“Are (discussions on) constitutional issues no longer permissible in academic settings? Are students not allowed to explore the nation’s direction on legitimate platforms?,” he said in a statement.

“Has UM abandoned its mission of being a world-class university, content to become a zone of intellectual silence?” he said.