13 UMS students may face suspension, expulsion: Vice-Chancellor

Daily Express

11 hours ago

Published on: Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Published on: Tue, Jun 24, 2025
By: Hayati Dzulkifli Text Size: Dr Kasim also voiced disappointment with the group for questioning the appointment of Tun Musa Aman as the Sabah Yang Dipertua Negeri. Kota Kinabalu: Some 13 Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students involved in the recent Gempur Rasuah 2.0 rally that included the burning of a caricature of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim may face suspension or expulsion, said UMS Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor. He said of the 13, two were involved in the burning of the caricature. Dr Kasim said UMS was not involved either directly or indirectly with the rally or the incident, which went viral on social media, and it has lodged a police report to facilitate further investigation. 'Besides being contrary to the norms of peaceful assemblies, UMS views the act as uncivilised, immature and does not reflect the intellect of the students of the institution of higher education,' he said. 'UMS also strongly rejects any action that risks endangering not just the participants but also the public,' he added. Dr Kasim also voiced disappointment with the group for questioning the appointment of Tun Musa Aman as the Sabah Yang Dipertua Negeri.
Advertisement He said the 13 students would be brought before a disciplinary committee which will be formed soonest and will consist of selected appointed academicians to investigate the case, as well as decide on disciplinary action based on the Universities and University College Act (AUKU) Amended 2012. 'The committee will call the 13 students one by one and listen to their explanations. 'When a charge is established, it will convene to start the hearing process. 'The committee will also seek legal advice from the Legal Advisor of the Ministry of Higher Education before deciding on the disciplinary action,' he said. To a question, Dr Kasim said a suspension on the students' studies would involve a certain period of semester that will be decided accordingly. In addition, he said UMS would impose legal and disciplinary actions under AUKU on the students based on the offences they committed. He said the university management, through its security division, lodged a report at Alamesra police station on Monday. 'The two students involved in burning the caricature - a final year student and a second year student - were identified based on several video postings that went viral on social media. 'Actually, we have identified about 13 UMS students involved in the rally.' Dr Kasim said prior to staging the two-day rally over the weekend, I warned and reminded four student leaders from the Suara Mahasiswa UMS who were called to my office that they must conduct the rally in a civilised and peaceful manner. 'I even suggested that they hold a forum instead of staging the rally. We allow freedom of speech but it must be within the limit. I also advised them to never violate the existing laws, especially AUKU, as well as not committing any action that could tarnish the UMS image and reputation,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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