GEORGE TOWN: Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin has dismissed a plan by students to challenge purported guidelines for concerts at university campuses, calling it a futile exercise. The Higher Education Minister pointed out that the guidelines had not been approved, rendering the students’ efforts a waste of time. “I have said it, it has not been approved, so it is just a waste of time because I have already said that I haven’t (approved it) – there is no such thing,” he said during a press conference at University Sains Malaysia on Monday (Sept 4). He emphasized that since the guidelines had not received approval, there was no justification for the students to seek a judicial review. However, he did suggest that the students could develop their own guidelines.
Khaled Nordin’s comments were in response to alleged guidelines for concerts in higher education institutions that were posted on Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth’s (Umany) Facebook page on Friday (Sept 1). According to the document, concert-goers are expected to adhere to a modest dress code, which prohibits clothing with Illuminati, pro-LGBT, or pornographic symbols, as well as “punk” hairstyles. The guidelines also strictly prohibit mosh pits and require separate seating arrangements for male and female audiences.
On Saturday (Sept 2), Umany appealed for public donations to fund a judicial review of the supposed guidelines. The student body argued that a judicial review was necessary to safeguard student autonomy, which it believed was eroding due to the guidelines implemented by a department of the Higher Education Ministry.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
