One of the student activists dubbed the UM8, Safwan Shamsuddin, said he will be helping flood victims instead, after Universiti Malaya (UM) rejected his appeal to postpone his suspension.
 
Safwan (right) was among seven out of eight students found guilty by UM for organising a talk by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim on campus on the eve of the latter’s Sodomy II appeal, which the university had not approved.
 
"Perhaps there is good in the vice-chancellor announcing that I cannot sit for my examinations this semester.
 
"With this, I will continue the students' flood relief mission to serve the flood victims," he said in a Facebook posting last night.
 
UM's refusal to postpone the immediate suspension means Safwan cannot sit for examinations, despite having almost completed the entire semester.
 
Safwan, who was suspended towards the end of the semester, had appealed for the university to allow him to complete the current session by postponing the suspension to next semester.
 
According to student group Occupy UM's Facebook page, the decision was announced by the university yesterday.
 
“The appeal letter to postpone Safwan Shamsuddin's punishment, the UM8 activist who was suspended for a semester with immediate effect, was rejected today by the UM vice-chancellor,” it said in a posting yesterday.