MALAYSIA, KUALA LUMPUR, June 16, 2025 – The Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (DAPSY) has strongly condemned the University of Malaya (UM) administration for prohibiting a forum titled “Watch Party & Wacana: Perhimpunan Haram?” organised by the Malaysian Students’ League, scheduled to take place on campus tonight.
In a scathing statement, DAPSY described the ban as a direct assault on freedom of speech, academic liberty, and the constitutional right to assemble. “Such actions suppress critical thinking among students, which should be encouraged, not feared,” said Koh Ling Xian, DAPSY’s National Varsity Affairs Bureau Director.
DAPSY accused UM’s management of stifling students, academics, and activists from discussing public issues, branding the move as an attempt to curb intellectual freedom. The group demanded an immediate investigation and a transparent explanation from UM to the public.
Calling on the Ministry of Higher Education to intervene, DAPSY urged the government to ensure universities remain spaces for open discourse, not tools of political control. “Universities must be platforms for debate, not fear,” Koh asserted.
Expressing full solidarity with the students behind the forum, DAPSY praised their courage in challenging unjust norms and raising societal issues. The group vowed to stand with students in advocating for freer, more democratic campuses.
DAPSY also renewed its call for the abolition of the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU), urging all stakeholders to support genuine dialogue to safeguard university autonomy, academic freedom, and students’ rights to self-governance.
