Student activism on campus

THE need for campus elections at varsities is important for young people to get their voices heard. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Student Representative Council president Adib Ashman Burhan Burhanuddin said, the campus election sees candidates from two coalitions contesting to gain majority and control of the council.

One party is pro-university, while the other provides different viewpoints.

Usually, each faculty is represented by two candidates. There are a few general zones, depending on the university, and each zone comprises four or five faculties.

Each zone is represented by two candidates. A faculty representative is akin to a state assemblyperson and each general representative is similar to a Member of Parliament.

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) architecture student Muhammad Firdhaus Razali, 24, said the campus election trains undergraduates to be leaders.

“The campus election process is similar to the general election — candidates have to be nominated and there is campaigning and voting.

“Student leaders fight for students’ welfare and campus development, rather than political issues.

“It is a stepping stone for those who want to embark on a political journey in the real world after graduation,” added Muhammad Firdhaus.

Rafidah Ruzmi, 23, a publishing undergraduate from the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), said the campus election exposes students to the general election in the country.

“It may not be exactly the same but we get an idea of the overall election process,” said Rafidah.

She added that the campus election chooses a group of people to be the channel between students and the university management in voicing the former’s opinions.

Another undergraduate, Patrick Lim, 24, from one of the local public universities, believes it is important to have “an independent student body in place.”

Candidates must uphold the dignity of the university as stipulated in the UiTM Act should they want to contest in the campus election.

ABDULLAH MOHD SAID