PETALING JAYA: The storm over guidelines for concerts held at universities seems to have eased off, with the Higher Education Ministry saying that student bodies must be involved in drawing up the rules.
Many students interviewed also agreed that higher education institutions (HEIs) should get input from student representative councils and unions when drafting the regulations for entertainment activities on campus.
“This is a multicultural country with diverse ethnicities, religions and beliefs,” said Taylor’s University psychology student Vanessa Bridget George, 24.
“If we only accept liberal points of view, we could jeopardise Malaysia’s harmony,” she said.
She said there should be some semblance of conservatism.
“I also suggest making safety a top priority,” she said.
For example, she said the guidelines should include social interaction safety to prevent inappropriate behaviour like non-consensual physical touch or pushing.
She added that the guidelines should also be subject to the approval of senior lecturers or senior management at the university.
Yesterday, the ministry’s Higher Education Department ordered the management of HEIs to ensure that student bodies are involved in the drafting of the Guidelines for Entertainment Activities (Concerts) in HEIs.
This came about after its minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the guidelines needed input from the students before they were implemented.
“In connection with this, the department is instructing the HEI management to ensure that student representative councils or student unions are involved in formulating the guidelines so that they take into account the voice and needs of the students as well as the suitability in each HEI and locality before they are officially adopted at the respective HEI level,” it said in a statement.
The topic of concerts surfaced last week when Sin Chew Daily reported that a 16-page Guidelines for Entertainment Activities (Concerts) had been given to public and private HEIs.
Among others, it called for separate seating for men and women and other dos and don’ts concerning the performers’ attire and behaviour.
This prompted criticism from a student group, which accused the ministry of playing the role of moral police.
However, the Higher Education Department explained in its statement yesterday that the guidelines, which have gone viral, are still at the recommendation stage and are a reference for HEIs in developing their own guide.
Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) business administration student Giovan Niap Zhi Wei, 23, said allowing students to be part of the process was a positive step towards promoting freedom of expression and association.
“It empowers students to take ownership of their extracurricular activities and fosters a sense of community and responsibility,” he said.
UUM Student Representative Council president Muhammad Izuan Faiz Abdul Rahman, 25, said it was vital for students to be involved in drafting the guidelines so that the final product would be fair and “doable”.
Universiti Malaya Students Association had formulated its own guidelines with amendments to the original guide.
Among the points it included were having a student representative as an adviser for all entertainment and concert activities and having more “reasonable” procedures and dress codes.
“Any violation of university regulations or Malaysian laws by the organisers should be subject to disciplinary action, but student council representatives must be part of the committee,” it said in a statement on Monday.
Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth president Ten Kang Yeaw, 21, said these guidelines were not necessary in the first place.
“Although students are given the opportunity to be involved in providing input to the guidelines, the final decision-making still falls on the university management.
“Why should there be a second layer of law (guidelines) for students to obey when there is already the national law to ensure that citizens do not abuse their rights?” he said.
