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Aliran Media Statement

Don't Disrupt the ISA 7's Studies

Social and political awareness are essential prerequisites for future leaders

Aliran calls upon the government � in particular the local universities concerned � to allow the seven university students (dubbed the "ISA 7") who were detained for alleged illegal assembly to continue their studies pending their trial.

The students have been subjected to gross injustice when their only �crime� was that they happened to be be present during a demonstration to protest against the use of the harsh Internal Security Act.

The students may have actually displayed a high degree of social and political awareness - an essential prerequisite for all future leaders and intellectuals. Though the university authorities might not like such independent thinking, they should at least wait until the court trial instead of prejudging the students.

Overzealous actions on the part of the university authorities only reinforce the suspicion that they do the bidding of the ruling party instead of taking a more independent line.

This has serious implications for the pursuit of truth, which is often sacrificed to protect the vested interests of the ruling elite. This episode also illustrates the univeristy authorities' inability to appreciate the value of debate and dissent on and off campus. Though the Barisan Nasional government might not appreciate such dissent, we need students and other citizens who dare to question the common wisdom.

We therefore call upon the university authorities to reinstate these students so that their education will not be unnecessarily disrupted.

Aliran Executive Committee
4 July 2003

This statement was sent to the local media including The Star, New Straits Times, and The Sun.