1930s to 1970s

A Time of Transition - From division to cohesion

The murmurs of student activism in Malaysia began around the 1930s. But it was disorganised and limited to a small elite group of English- speaking students, disconnected from the interest of the Malay masses, due to the remote location of University Malaya (UM) campus in Singapore then.

Even after the campus moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1959, student concerns were mostly limited to campus issues and student welfare.

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UM students walking to Convocation Hall on Convocation Day, Singapore, 1905 -1959

As the country moved towards Independence, Chinese-speaking and English-speaking students found common ground in their cause to reject the colonial order and in defining the Malayan identity and future.

Universities became a melting pot to brew a multicultural Malayan identity.

More and more students from poor and rural backgrounds obtained places in universities, which would take student priorities and organised student activities on a new trajectory.

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UM Study Hall

A pivotal point of student activism as students began to rise up for the welfare of the masses beyond campus issues.

Student groups funded efforts to understand local issues, helped build latrines, tutored school children, and empowered women.i

One famous incident is the Teluk Gong movement, where student groups lent support to impoverished farmers’ struggle for land.ii

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UM students listening to Sharifah Mahani Syed Hamzah talking about the oppression of the peasants in Teluk Gong

Students participated actively in the 1969 general elections and even considered fielding independent candidatesiii.

Universiti of Malaya Student Union (UMSU) held rallies nationwide, attracting thousands of spectators. They distributed 100,000 copies of the Students’ Manifestoiv, advocating for:

  • Democracy and justice
  • Improved living standards
  • Land reform
  • National education policy
  • Release of political detainees
  • Withdrawal of foreign military base from Malaysia

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The release of political detainees was one of the focus in the Students’ Manifesto

The political activities of students gathered enough momentum for the authorities to take action: police permits for holding rallies reportedly became more difficult to secure in some areasv.

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Coverage of a UMSU rally in a newspaper published by the student union in May 1969

The 1969 general elections results which led to the May 13 riots exposed underlying socioeconomic inequalities. Leftist and nationalist students blamed the Tunku Abdul Rahman administration and demanded a change in leadershipvi.

Students from UM, ITM and Islamic colleges undertook a series of anti-Tunku demonstrations. Several students, including Syed Hamid Ali, were arrested and detained for weeks. Tunku eventually resigned amidst mounting pressure from studentsvii.

The fear of student radicalism paved the way for a law that will restrain student activism for decades to come: the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (AUKU).

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Syed Hamid Ali speaking to students

AUKU 1971 limits students’ involvement in politics.

This Act brought together fragmented student activist groups from various universities to protest its passing.

However, stricter amendments would be introduced to the AUKU.

Did this spell the end of student activism in Malaysia?

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References
  1. Weiss, M. (2011). Student Activism in Malaysia: Crucible, Mirror, Sideshow. Ithaca, N.Y: Southeast Asia Program, Southeast Asia Program, Cornell University.
  2. Hassan Karim, and Siti Nor Hamid, eds (1984), With the People! The Malaysian Student Movement 1967–74, Institute for Social Analysis (INSAN), Petaling Jaya.
  3. Weiss, M. (2011). Student Activism in Malaysia: Crucible, Mirror, Sideshow. Ithaca, N.Y: Southeast Asia Program, Southeast Asia Program, Cornell University.
  4. Hassan Karim, and Siti Nor Hamid, eds (1984), With the People! The Malaysian Student Movement 1967–74, Institute for Social Analysis (INSAN), Petaling Jaya.
  5. Weiss, M. (2011). Student Activism in Malaysia: Crucible, Mirror, Sideshow. Ithaca, N.Y: Southeast Asia Program, Southeast Asia Program, Cornell University.
  6. Hassan Karim, and Siti Nor Hamid, eds (1984), With the People! The Malaysian Student Movement 1967–74, Institute for Social Analysis (INSAN), Petaling Jaya.
  7. Weiss, M. (2011). Student Activism in Malaysia: Crucible, Mirror, Sideshow. Ithaca, N.Y: Southeast Asia Program, Southeast Asia Program, Cornell University.
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