>From Asiaweek
Issue July 23, 1999

THE ANGRY VOICE OF YOUTH
Students are a force that cannot be ignored
By Arjuna Ranawana / Kuala Lumpur
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THEY ARE ANGRY AND THEY WANT CHANGE. Over the past several months, university students have emerged as a major driving force for reform in Malaysia. Both the government and the opposition are acutely aware of the political significance of the new awakening on campuses. The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition is launching a major program to counter what it sees as growing antigovernment tendencies among students. In the meantime, the opposition parties are hoping the nation's youth will prove to be the cutting edge in their campaign to dislodge Barisan in the upcoming general elections.

Especially active are young Malays, who make up the vast majority of the country's student population. "We have been inspired by the changes university students have been able to bring in South Korea, Myanmar and Indonesia," says Amidi Abdul Manan, who heads the Malaysian Islamic Students Association, the country's oldest student organization. "The people must realize that Barisan, after 42 years of ruling Malaysia, does not have the people's interests at heart."

The catalyst for the increased student activism has been, of course, the ouster and jailing of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, himself a student firebrand during the 1970s. "Anwar was seen as the students' representative in government," says Stephen Doss, president of the Movement for Enlightened Youth (GAPI by its Malay initials). "His sacking and the way he was treated have impacted on the students." GAPI is campaigning for greater transparency, more political freedom and the abolishment of the tough Internal Security Act, which permits detention without trial.

Notwithstanding the students' agitations, they may carry little actual weight in the elections. The voting age in Malaysia is 21, which rules out most students. And those who are eligible may not get the chance to vote in the next polls. "There has been a massive increase in the number of students of voting age registering after the Anwar crisis, but it appears they will not be able to vote if an election is called soon," says Doss. The elections commission has said that some 650,000 new applications may not get processed in time if snap elections are called by September.

But even if most students are unable to vote, they may still be able to indirectly influence the electorate. "Students are at a point in their lives when they have yet to enter the mainstream and are seen as the cleanest citizens in society," says Amidi. "Many people therefore are willing to accept their arguments." Indeed, university students have traditionally been highly regarded in Malaysian society, especially in the countryside. "In the kampungs [villages], the students are very influential," says Zulkifli Alwi, secretary of Barisan's Youth wing. "There are very few from rural areas who get into university, and parents and other family members tend to listen to the undergraduates."

Barisan is viewing the campus situation with concern. The United Malays National Organization, the dominant party in the coalition, has traditionally represented the Malay-Muslim mainstream. A split in the Malay community, as evidenced by the student activism (not to mention inroads made by Islamist groups on campuses), is therefore a deeply worrying trend to party and government leaders. Barisan is now actively seeking to win the hearts of the youth. Says Zulkifli: "We have embarked on a serious effort to begin a process of communicating with the students." It is not going to be easy. When the National University of Malaysia hosted a debate between Barisan and opposition leaders in June, the government speakers were booed by the audience. Barisan officials suffered the same indignity at a similar event on July 12 at the University of Malaya.

It is clear that even among students who are not politically inclined, the Anwar saga has served to raise their political consciousness to a degree not seen in the country for a long time. Says one young woman:
"We want the freedom to make our choices. We realize that we live in a period where changes are occurring in society around us." But, she adds, "we do not want these changes to come at the cost of the system that has served us well." The government should be happy to hear that.
 

As for Amidi and Doss, their work is just beginning. "We will try to monitor the conduct of the polls," says Doss. "We are already training our members to see that there is no hanky-panky." Whether these student activists are rabble-rousing troublemakers or the conscience of the nation, there is no denying their role in determining the future course of Malaysia.

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