Kit Siang: Withdraw report against student protester
PUCHONG: DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang today urged Universiti Malaya (UM) to withdraw the police report lodged against one of its graduates, Wong Yan Ke, for a holding a mini protest against his vice-chancellor at the university’s convocation ceremony last Monday.
In a statement, Lim said instead of using high-handed tactics to silence dissent, UM vice chancellor Abdul Rahim Hashim should address the undergraduates’ grouses against him.
“While the prime minister himself had condemned Wong’s actions for using the convocation as a platform to protest, he did not deny the student’s right to demonstrate.
“It is in this spirit that the protest at the university’s graduation ceremony and other related matters should be addressed – not in a high-handed and vengeful manner which would put UM in more adverse light,” he said.
On Monday, Wong courted controversy by staging a protest against Rahim by unfurling a placard at UM”s convocation ceremony and said “Tolak rasis Undur VC. Ini Tanah Malaysia”(Reject racism. VC resign. This is the land of Malaysians).
This was in response to Rahim’s controversial speech during the Malay Dignity Congress, claiming that the special privileges of the Malays are being questioned by the non-Malays since the last general election.
He also warned non-Malays not to question the ‘social contract’.
UM had lodged a police report against Wong and he is now being investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code for insulting to provoke breach of peace.
However, UM’s Academic Staff Association had defended Wong, saying that the protest was not only about Rahim’s racist speech but was also for the latter’s failures in addressing problems affecting the students and staffs of the varsity.
Targetting Rahim, Lim said that the former should strive to unite UM students of various race and religion by engaging his students and staff in a positive manner.
“Instead, Rahim used UM to participate in the Malay Dignity Congress, which is a major blemish on his leadership of the university,” he said.
To date, Rahim has yet to respond to the matter.
By Hema Subramaniam
