suffianr
13th April 2003, 16:46
I can't fucking believe this! Not again!
from www. malaysiakini.com:
Stay clear of party politics, minister reminds students
Susan Loone
3:02pm Sat Apr 12th, 2003
The government appeared relentless in its policy to prohibit students from active participation in partisan politics despite the lively debate and interest shown by students in this area at the on-going annual graduates' congress in Penang.
Education Minister Musa Mohamad reiterated today that university students should never get involved in politics, let alone party politics, as this could distract them from their studies.
He said education should be free from political influence and the question of political participation "does not arise".
It's bad enough that Malaysians are generally apathetic when it comes to politics, now the Education Minister has the nerve to remind us about it. :)
This is a constant irritation to our student movements. Students in national universities must sign a pledge to stay out of party politics i.e. can't attend rallys or demonstrations or sign up for party membership.
This is pure hypocrisy. Recently, the ruling party organised a "peace demonstration" at our national stadium; much fanfare involved, as singers, actors and musicians cheered on with the crowd against the Iraq war. All top ruling party officials were present. No one said anything against student participation, and not surprisingly, lots of students attended the event.
I boycotted the damn thing, though, because I felt that it was nothing more than a publicity showcase, a pseudo-event conducted by the ruling party to get as many Brownie Points as possible in their effort for popular support. And now, our Education Minister announces, or rather, reiterates the policy on non-participation.
Ah, that can only mean one thing; snap election time!
This sort of attitude is most disheartening. It's really depressing how the government keeps telling us about democracy and self-involvement, but at the same time, keeps reminding us to that they can lock us up any time they feel like it. :biggrin:
from www. malaysiakini.com:
Stay clear of party politics, minister reminds students
Susan Loone
3:02pm Sat Apr 12th, 2003
The government appeared relentless in its policy to prohibit students from active participation in partisan politics despite the lively debate and interest shown by students in this area at the on-going annual graduates' congress in Penang.
Education Minister Musa Mohamad reiterated today that university students should never get involved in politics, let alone party politics, as this could distract them from their studies.
He said education should be free from political influence and the question of political participation "does not arise".
It's bad enough that Malaysians are generally apathetic when it comes to politics, now the Education Minister has the nerve to remind us about it. :)
This is a constant irritation to our student movements. Students in national universities must sign a pledge to stay out of party politics i.e. can't attend rallys or demonstrations or sign up for party membership.
This is pure hypocrisy. Recently, the ruling party organised a "peace demonstration" at our national stadium; much fanfare involved, as singers, actors and musicians cheered on with the crowd against the Iraq war. All top ruling party officials were present. No one said anything against student participation, and not surprisingly, lots of students attended the event.
I boycotted the damn thing, though, because I felt that it was nothing more than a publicity showcase, a pseudo-event conducted by the ruling party to get as many Brownie Points as possible in their effort for popular support. And now, our Education Minister announces, or rather, reiterates the policy on non-participation.
Ah, that can only mean one thing; snap election time!
This sort of attitude is most disheartening. It's really depressing how the government keeps telling us about democracy and self-involvement, but at the same time, keeps reminding us to that they can lock us up any time they feel like it. :biggrin: