Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) today told a group of university students who submitted a memorandum on the 'mismanagement' of their campus elections that it cannot protect them should the university's authority take disciplinary action.

Suhakam secretary Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria said the commission can advise but cannot prevent Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's authority from pursuing actions against the students for raising the matter with Suhakam.

"We cannot guarantee that actions will not be taken against you. We have no power [to do so] under the Human Rights Commission Act 1999," he told the students during a dialogue session at the commission's office in Kuala Lumpur.

The students, mostly from UTM's main campus in Johor, fear that they will be slapped with show cause letters when they return.

In the hour-long dialogue, students told Kamaruddin that ballot boxes were tampered with during the UTM elections and nominations of several candidates were made under questionable circumstances.

Meanwhile, Ng Tee Neng, one of the two former student council members who were served with show-cause letters last week for airing their grievances to the media, said under the Federal Constitution, it is the right of all Malaysians to express their opinions.

"Should I hide anything from the press?" he asked.

Ng, who was present at the dialogue today, added that he went through a "painful experience" after receiving the show-cause letter just as he was about to sit for a test.

"There was pressure from my family and pressure from everywhere. I could not concentrate on my studies," he said.

"What I did was just to represent the voice of 20,000 UTM students."

The other student who was asked to show cause for the same action was Mohd Mushriff Abdullah.

Imposed contracts

Asked if they had signed any 'contract' which specifically barred them from doing certain things, the students told Kamaruddin that such agreements were not valid as it was imposed on them.

David Yeo, an engineering student from UTM said the students never agreed to such a 'contract' but were made to sign them.

Yeo then went on to talk about the colonial era where a number of agreements were signed between the British and the locals.

"If all these agreements were followed, then the people of Malaya need not do anything [to struggle for independence]," he said.

Another UTM student explained that under contract law, any agreement signed under duress is disputable.

"Must we follow [the contract]? Suhakam must be clear in its stand on this matter," he said.

Student leader Chong Kuen Wai queried what Suhakam could do if UTM's authority refused to cooperate should the commission launch an inquiry into their complaint.

Kamaruddin replied that Suhakam is authorised to compel those involved to cooperate in its investigation.

However, he added that he cannot guarantee that retaliative actions will not be taken against the students.

Kamaruddin also promised to bring the matter up to the commissioners soon in order for them to decide whether to pursue the complaint.

Asked about Suhakam's stand on students' right to express their opinions, Kamaruddin said he cannot comment without consulting the commissioners.

"I have to ask for the advice of the commissioners. I'm afraid that what I say could be wrong and give false hope to the students."