Thesun 2009-01-09 Page10 Usm Panel To Look Into Students Allegation

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USM panel to look into students’ allegation by Bernard Cheah [email protected]

GEORGE TOWN: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) will set up a committee tomorrow to look into an allegation by three of its students that they were manhandled and wrongfully detained by campus security personnel on Monday. Vice-Chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said yesterday the committee will look into the alleged incident and come up with its findings as soon as possible. Yap Heng Leng, 22, Ch’ng Hui Ying, 20, and Hiew Kai Sheng, 21, had said they were distributing fliers to invite students to attend the handing over of a memorandum to Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Omar Osman when the security personnel forced them into a van and detained them for two hours.

They lodged a police report on Tuesday. The memorandum by student organisation Pro-Mahasiswa USM contained several demands, including one for the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 to be abolished. It wanted the Campus Elections Committee to be independent and fair, and for there to be check-and-balance in the student elections, to be held next Thursday, with the formation of an independent monitoring committee from outside the university. It also wanted the dates for future campus elections to be announced 15 days before the nomination forms were issued, allow the campaign period to last for five working days, and to ensure the voters and candidates were not intimidated throughout the campaigning period.

Dzulkifli said the USM undergraduates should abide by the rules and regulations of the university at all times. “They can express anything intellectually but they have to be responsible and accountable for their words and actions,” he said. “They can legitimately distribute ideas but how they do it is equally important.” He also said preparations for the campus elections were going on smoothly. He cautioned the students to maintain ethical behaviour and not be too emotionally affected during the campaigning period. Earlier, Dzulkifli signed a memorandum of understanding on behalf of USM with the Right Livelihood Awards Foundation (RLAF), represented by its chairman, Jacob Von Uexkull, in his office. The MoU will form the basis of cooperation between USM and RLAF to make

the university the first in the world to host the Right Livelihood College, which will house the Right Livelihood Awards recipients for partnership and research sessions. The college will harness the knowledge and experience of the awardees through the promotion of education, scientific research, public

understanding and practical activities which contribute to a global ecological balance, lasting peace and justice in the world and eliminates material and spiritual poverty. Datuk Dr Anwar Fazal, a Right Livelihood Award recipient in 1982, has been appointed the director of the college.

Students want food stall tenders open to all by Kristene Silva Marie [email protected]

KUALA LUMPUR: Three student associations in Universiti Malaya have called for tenders to operate food stalls in the hostel cafeterias to be open to all races so that the students can enjoy a variety of food. The call came from Universiti Malaya New Youth (UMANY ), Persatuan Bahasa Cina UM (PBCUM) and Persatuan Mahasiswa Islam UM (PMIUM) at a press conference at the Kolej 12 (KK12) cafeteria, where a food stall operator’s contract had been terminated because of a “technicality”. That stall sold Chinese-style food. UMANY senior Lian Chiew Yi said the issue was not about race but about “fairness and justice”. “Tenders to operate food stalls should be open to everyone, irrespective of race. Students should also be given the chance to participate in the decision-making process for campus policies,” she said. PBCUM president Tan Xun Phei said: “Under Code 080501 of the Finance Ministry, non-bumiputras

are not allowed to operate food stalls in the campus, thus depriving the students from enjoying a variety of different foods.” PMIUM president Muhammad Haafizuddin Abirerah expressed his disappointment over such regulations. “We are taught about moral values, tolerance and fairness by our lecturers. Ironically, the campus management does not subscribe to such values,” he said. According to the students, deputy vice-chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) Datuk Dr Azarae Idris had stated in an email to all students in the campus that the non-renewal of tenancy was because of “technical problems”. The email explained that the contract for all stalls had expired in May last year, but during the tender process, the stall was found to be using a licence owned by another company. There are 14 indoor and outdoor food stalls at Kolej Kediaman Raja Dr Nazrin Shah or Kolej Kediaman Kedua Belas’s (KK12) cafeteria. KK12 is UM’s newest block.

Govt withdraws ban on Herald’s Malay edition KUALA LUMPUR: The government has withdrawn a ban on Catholic weekly Herald’s Malay-language edition imposed in a row over the use of the word “Allah”, an official yesterday. The decision was made after the weekly threatened to sue the government, the Home Ministry’s publications control unit secretary Che Din Yusof told AFP. “We received their letter. We have reviewed the decision and we will now allow them to print the Malay version provided that they don’t use the word “Allah” until it is decided in court,” he said. “They can publish as long as they don’t use the word ‘Allah’, just use the word ‘God’.” The Herald, circulated among the country’s 850,000 Catholics, nearly

lost its publishing licence last year for using the word “Allah” as a translation for “God”. Authorities said “Allah” should be used only by Muslims. Last week, the newspaper was told it must stop publishing its Malay edition while the issue is resolved in the courts, as part of conditions for it to be allowed to continue printing its editions in English, Chinese and Tamil. The Herald’s editor, Father Lawrence Andrew, welcomed yesterday’s decision. “It’s good. Our right has been reinstated, it was taken away from us unjustly,” he told AFP. On the condition that it will not be allowed to use the word “Allah”, the editor said the issue will be left to the court to decide.

155 NS trainees down with food poisoning LUMUT: One hundred and fifty-five National Service (NS) trainees at the Teluk Rubiah camp here came down with food poisoning yesterday and were rushed to the Seri Manjung Hospital. They were brought to the hospital at 7.20am after suffering from stomach ache, diarrhoea and vomiting following a meal of chicken chop at the canteen of the camp. A hospital spokesman said most of the trainees had been sent back to the camp after treatment but

eight were warded. The camp commandant, Commander K. Kannan, when contacted, declined to give any statement on the incident and asked the media to contact the NS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur for information. Manjung police chief ACP Mohd Jamil Osman, when contacted, said police had yet to receive any report on the incident from the Seri Manjung Hospital or the management of the Teluk Rubiah camp. – Bernama

‘Datuk Kabi’ faces eighth charge BUTTERWORTH: C. Kamaleshwaran, who is also known as “Datuk Kabi”, has been slapped with an eighth cheating charge. Kamaleshwaran, 29, of Kuala Ketil, Kedah, was charged yesterday with cheating a man of a Proton Per-

dana at a premise on Jalan Bagan Luar here in March 2004. He claimed trial. Magistrate Chiang Kian Hong set bail at RM20,000 and fixed Feb 11 for re-mention of the case. – Bernama