The violent police action against a group of students at a New Year's day sit-in in Tanjung Malim is a “national tragedy” and a sign of a cruel government, says former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin.“I was shocked to see the students who were demonstrating being injured like that.
“If it is proven that it was the police who had hit them, then this is a tragedy for our country,” the vocal mufti (right) said in a New Year's message yesterday from abroad.
“Students must be given room to voice their concerns in a safe environment. If they are harassed or injured, it is a sign of a government that is cruel.”
Asri said the authorities need not agree with the students’ views but the police action during the incident was “improper”.
“If you want to detain them, detain them according to the proper procedure, not hit them,” he said.
Suppressing the students would only provoke hatred towards the authorities, which would later have to be resolved further.
“You have to remember what happened in Tunisia,” said Asri, calling for a commission of inquiry into the incident.
Asri, who is pursuing his further studies in Britain, added that he has sent his views to Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, suggesting that the latter meets with the head of police operations and the students behind closed doors.
This, he said, would help uncover the truth behind the incident.
Saifuddin has, in a brief statement today, called for all parties to refrain from making speculative comments in the media and to air their views through the proper channels, to avoid “slander”.
Yesterday police arrested about 20 student activists after violently breaking up an academic freedom sit-in outside Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in Tanjung Malim, Perak, in the early hours of the day.
The students had initially gathered at the university's east gate around 12.30am to welcome the New Year and demand academic freedom.Mufti: 'Pembantaian siswa' di UPSI membingungkan
source:malaysiakini
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