Unisel student reps also say 'nay' to political chancellors

The Students Representative Council (SRC) of Universiti Industri Selangor (Unisel) has expressed solidarity with a student grouping against purported moves to appoint a PKR leader as the university’s chancellor.

Though they agree in spirit with the wishes of the Pro-Mahasiswa (Pro-M) that no politician be appointed to the top position, the SRC voiced dissent with the Pro-M’s suggestion that prominent history professor Khoo Kay Kim be named to replace Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s wife Rosmah Mansor as Unisel chancellor.

“The stand of Prof Emeritus Khoo Kay Kim to reject proposals to amend the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) to allow students to participate in politics, and not to recognise the history of student movements in the history of the country, is seen as not in line with the stand of student movements today.

“The stand of Khoo certainly stands against the position of Pro-Mahasiswa in Unisel and at the national level to struggle for the rights and freedom of students and campus autonomy.

“Unisel SRC thus feels that Khoo is not qualified to be made a chancellor for not recognising the voice and fundamental liberty of students and the history of student movements in Malaysia,” said Unisel SRC president Azim Md Kasim in a statement today.

A five-member delegation of Pro-M activists led by its president Muhd Nasir Abu Bakar handed a memorandum to the office of Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim yesterday to protest suggestions that PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail or former party deputy-president Dr Syed Husin Ali be made Unisel chancellor.

Neither PKR leaders have responded seriously to the suggestion.

That did not stop 500 Unisel students from inking their opposition even to the possibility, however, being realised. They had also backed the call in Pro-M’s memorandum for Khoo to be appointed Unisel chancellor.

This is based on his "excellent" academic track-record and his contributions to the nation's development, as he was among those who had drafted the Rukun Negara, said Pro-M.

Another student group, Gabungan Mahasiswa Islam Se-Malaysia, said Rosmah (right) had been involved in scandals that could affect the university's image.

The Selangor government, then under BN, had founded the university in 2000.

Azim also said Unisel SRC welcomes Pro-M’s rejection of politicians being appointed Unisel chancellor and praised Pro-M’s bravery in voicing their demands and exercising their freedom of expression.

Autonomy should be returned to universities urgently, space should be opened to as wide a space as possible for student participation, and universities should be freed from any restrictions imposed by political parties, said Azim.
“This is in the awareness that students need to be recognised as being the country’s next generation of leaders,” said Azim.

He also rejected Pro-M’s assertion that its members represented the voice of all Unisel students, given only 500 of them signed onto the Pro-M memorandum to the menteri besar out of a total of 13,000 Unisel’s student population.

Along these lines, Azim said Unisel SRC will discuss with the leaders of all student associations of faculties and colleges before forwarding its proposals on the matter to the university’s board of directors and the Selangor Sultan.