Students' power; neither a legend nor a myth

Read first:
1) Boikot pilihanraya bukti ada tidak kena dengan universiti
2) Dasar Apartheid dalam pilihanraya kampus

When I was in the secondary school, I didn’t care about campus election (even though my political awareness has been evolving since 1998).

When I conversed with my orang kampung regarding UMNO’s interference in campus politic, nobody cares. They just responsed “Ye ke?”. Full stop. (it sounds uninterested, right?).

It is different when I firstly stepped into campus. I did realize that campus politic is something important within its own population and for those people who have interest of it. But, the wave and momentum of campus election still not being aware of by rakyat. For them, nothing is big important in September.

So what’s the purpose for UMNO, a ruling party in Malaysia, to struggle in ensuring seats of student’s representative councils of IPTA’s all over Malaysia occupied by pro-Asprasi (read: pro-UMNO) students?

To me, UMNO still realize the existence of students’ power to defy and challenge the ruling government. They still are being aware of the students’ ability to mobilise people wave (gelombang rakyat). Many texts in the world and Malaysia’s historical masterpiece had proven us about such power.

Soekarno in Indonesia was pulled down by students’ movement in 1965. The same went to the downfall of Ngo Doh Dien in Southern Vietnam also in 1965.

It was similar to Malaysia decades ago. Due to the bloody 1969 tragedy, students voiced out their dissatisfaction against Tunku’s administration. They did also blame capitalism as one of the factors as well. Besides, student’s movement led by Anwar Ibrahim had once opened mata rakyat about the bad situation faced by people in Baling.

That is the students’ power. It is neither a legend nor a myth.

Some people might say that student’s movement nowadays cannot mirror its ways of action like past situations such as going out for demonstration. However, nobody could deny that student’s movement in each era have their own energy and strength to be suited with their time. Mahasiswa mampu menggugat.

That’s why UMNO always struggle to ensure the student leaders are those who fully support them in whatever way and manner.