Campus Election: Reflecting the Failure of Education?

It's the campus election season again in Malaysian public universities. Again, this is the "exam" season for many big jokers, whose only reason to continue staying in universities, were to play politics. This once-a-year exam is the 19th of January. Coincidently, the nation is also facing a by-election in Kuala Terengganu this weekend (17th January).

Students' election in public universities had always been seen as a proxy war for political parties at the national level. However, the childishness and foolishness of university students can be extremely unbelievable. To a certain extend, even university staff (large majority are support staff with only a handful of academician) join in the wagon to make the circus merrier. Therefore, it's not surprising when the number of articles highlighted in Malaysiakini (BM version) concerning campus election is as much as those reports of the by-election to elect a Member of Parliament.

The most recent incident of pig-head in the surau is really unthinkable, but not surprising. However, there are some unbelievable points to raised. Firstly, I can't believe having students spend the night in the surau of the faculty. (I do not want to speculate but what on earth were these six students doing there). The surau was located in Islamic Studies Academy of UM, situated in a quite remote part of the campus. I, for sure, who not believe these students were so pious to be praying or so hardworking as to study throughout the night.

Secondly, to put a pig-head in a surau, is equivalent of the Iraqi reporter throwing the shoe to President Bush. A sign of total disrespect. This is an unacceptable act to all Malaysians. If the person who placed the pig-head in the Muslim's prayer room is another Muslim, then it will be extra "sinful" of even touching the pig-head and doing the disrespectful act (Pig is an unclean animal in Islam). Indeed, when it comes to campus politics and election, does students forget about religion, race, principles, moral values and ethics, for the sake of proving a point?

The level of childishness as well as the ruthless tactics used can be equally unbelievable. I personally witnessed a university administrator writing poison letters about the Vice-Chancellor and signing off the letter as a student from the so-called "opposition side". The staff was even more excited to be doing this rubbish task and sharing with students, who were aligned to him, of such unethical act. Frankly, I was and is still, stunned by such a childish way to play politics in campus election. Therefore, it came as no surprise when a Deputy Vice-Chancellor had to make police report claiming someone else had produced and signed a letter using his name.

Is such low-level of politics in electing students' leader a reflection of the types of students produced by the education system? University graduates are supposed to be the elites of their cohorts and are said to be the leaders of tomorrow. Are we expecting such characters and behaviours in our future leaders and politicians?

Or the more serious question, is this a yearly political exercise by political parties using the students as proxy?

As a graduate of a public university in Malaysia, I certainly can vouched that campus election is not promoting democracy and fostering the right environment to develop leadership characteristics of students' leader in these institutions. Perhaps it's time for all stakeholders of public universities to ponder on the tradition of campus election. It's reflecting more negativity than promoting the positivity.

Perhaps as Abraham Lincoln once said, a democratic government is the "government of the people, by the people, for the people." Similarly, campus election should also be, "government of the students, by the students, for the students."