Stationing members of the anti-riot police squad and arresting student activists at Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Kota Kinabalu campus is a ‘waste of taxpayers’ funds”, said PKR Youth.

Its vice president Tan Kar Hing said that the police’s failure to inform the students why they are arrested and under which section also shows that they are being used as political tools to “oppress” a student movement.

“Police action for the sole purpose of blocking students from speaking on campus is abuse of power which cannot be tolerated in any way.

Meanwhile, PKR Youth exco member Murnie Hidayah Anuar said that the arrests of the eight students is “intimidation” to gag students.

“We urge the authorities to stop any form of intimidation towards students and to uphold academic freedom, freedom of speech and freedom to assemble by students in their own universities,” she said.

On Sunday, eight students were barred from giving a talk and booted out of UMS, after which they were arrested.

The eight from UMS, Universiti Teknologi Mara Sabah and Universiti Malaya were earlier that day made to undergo urine tests after giving a public talk at the Gaya Street market in Kota Kinabalu.

The visit to UMS was part of the students’ nationwide ‘Jelajah Mahasiswa’ roadshow organized by the Pro-Mahasiswa Nasional student coalition.

Separately, Suaram said the harassment is a follow through to continual clamp down on student voices following the introduction of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1974 (UUCA).

Calling for the repeal of the UUCA, he said universities should be a place for intellectual exchange and students should be free to communicate issues of their concern.

“It is illogical and nonsensical to criminalise an act that is fundamentally permitted by our constitution,” Suaram executive director Yap Swee Heng said in a statement.

“Nevertheless, the country is seeing the silver linings of these oppression in the rise of student activism against all adversities and their dauntless spirit against oppressive authorities in defending our democratic space and fundamental liberties.”