Umany Slams Proposed New Varsity Concert Rules As Extremely Conservative

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Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth is calling out the government for ‘conservative’ new concert restrictions, but higher education minister Khaled Nordin said he has not seen the purported guidelines.PETALING JAYA: Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) has called out the higher education ministry for its alleged moral policing role in the newly proposed “Guidelines for Entertainment Activities (Concerts) in Higher Education Institutions”.
The student body said the ministry is trying to impose religious governance on campuses.
“The contents of these guidelines are extremely conservative, prohibiting actions such as mixed seating for males and females and artistes wearing shorts (during performances),” it said in a statement.
It said that based on the contents of the guidelines, “it can be seen that a conservative wave has made its way into university campuses”.
“Surprisingly, it is not led by Perikatan Nasional, but rather by the unity government, which claimed to be ‘progressive’ in the past elections,” it said.
Umany said the ministry’s proposal on these guidelines without prior warning, let alone consultation, was a blatant disregard for the autonomy of tertiary students.
“Thus, it is evident that the ministry’s agenda to amend the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971, and restore student autonomy is nothing but a superficial act, reflected in the government’s lack of progress,” it said.
It also said the unity government has shown no hesitation in using tertiary students as the sacrificial lamb to court the favour of conservative voters.
The higher education ministry’s proposed new guidelines were said to regulate concerts held in public and private tertiary institutions, including the provision of separate seating for males, females and families.
The 16-page guide contains detailed regulations and information on the approval process for concerts held by the tertiary institutions, as reported by Sin Chew Daily.
However, according to Malaysiakini, higher education minister Khaled Nordin said the guidelines had not been submitted to him for approval. - FMT

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