16 to face UM discipline panel
By Priya Kulasagaran, The Star
PETALING JAYA: Sixteen Universiti Malaya students including its Students Representative Council president Mohd Syahid Mohd Zaini have been given disciplinary letters by the university administration.
Among others, they have been accused of organising and attending illegal gatherings, making media statements without the university’s consent, and “threatening the university’s safety.”
Mohd Syahid described the charges as unreasonable and restricted their rights as students.
“All the charges are about our conduct during the campus elections in February and are completely unfair,” he told a press conference yesterday.
The university will hold a disciplinary hearing for the 16 students on May 20.
Another student, Tan Tiong Yih, had earlier faced a disciplinary committee on charges which he had successfully appealed against previously.
Tan, who won a seat as a pro-Mahasiswa candidate during the campus polls, claimed the fresh proceedings were unfair.
“This is like ‘double jeopardy.’ Furthermore, it was only during my disciplinary proceeding that the university administration switched the charges. I didn’t have time to prepare my defence.”
“Now I have to pay a RM200 fine and lose my seat in the student council,” he said.
Tan initially faced the disciplinary committee in March for allegedly producing a forged medical certificate to justify his absence at a compulsory briefing for election candidates.
He was hit with an immediate one-semester suspension and a RM200 fine.
On April 25, the appeals committee cleared Tan of all charges, waived his fine and suspension and reinstated his victory in the campus polls.
Earlier this month, however, Tan was again charged by the university administration for allegedly issuing false statements during his appeal.
Mohd Syahid, who is also from the pro-Mahasiswa group, claimed that the entire student council supported calls for the charges to be dropped.
The anti-establishment pro-Mahasiswa group won 23 seats to Penggerak Mahasiswa’s (pro-establishment) 16 at the polls in February.
UM officials could not be reached for comment.
