PETALING JAYA: The Higher Education Ministry will review its guidelines for entertainment activities, including concerts, at higher education institutions (HEIs).
It said the guidelines were in place to protect the peace and safety of students and the rest of the campus community during events.
"It is also a detailed guide for carrying out entertainment activities and programmes in the form of concerts, conducted by students on HEI premises," it said in a statement on Friday (Sept 1).
It added that the review would be done by its Higher Education Department together with Universiti Malaya Cultural Council.
The review comes after backlash from the public towards the "Guidelines for Entertainment Activities (Concerts) in HEIs" that regulated entertainment activities on university campuses.
University of Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) said the content of these guidelines were extremely conservative, prohibiting actions such as mixed seating of males and females and artists wearing shorts.
"From this, it can be seen that a conservative wave has made its way into university campuses," it said in a statement on Friday.
"The Higher Education Ministry has taken on the role of a moral police, attempting to impose religious governance on campuses, which goes completely against the values of freedom and progress that universities should uphold.
"Furthermore, although these guidelines currently only apply to concerts, it is worried that this will be an opening whereby various other forms of student activities in the future will undoubtedly be burdened by similar guidelines, leading to a severe curtailment of autonomy in activities, performance, and the freedom of expression," it added.
