KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar Council yesterday called for the repeal of Section 15 of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971.
Its vice-president, Christopher Leong, said the provision not only deprived a section of Malaysians of their freedom of speech and expression but it also denied them, under Section 15(1) of the act, their freedom of association.
"We call upon the authorities to accept the principles underlying the decision of the Court of Appeal and to, therefore, repeal Sections 15(1), 15(5)(b) and 15(5)(c) of the UUCA."
He said Section 15(5)(a) had prevented public university students from expressing their views or doing anything that might reasonably be construed as expressing support for, or sympathy with, or opposition to, political parties.
He also said Sections 15(5)(b) and 15(5)(c) prevented students from joining unlawful organisations or organisations that the higher education minister specified as being unsuitable to the interests and well-being of students or universities.
Leong said the decision was a victory for freedom of speech and expression, enshrined in Article 10(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution.
"In the past, the wide and repressive scope of Section 15(5), in particular Section 15(5)(a), was justified on the need to maintain public order and morality."
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International Malaysia Law Conference (26 to 28 Sept 2012) Hurry up! The countdown continues and the current promotion rate ends 30 June 2012. Don't miss what is going to be the best conference in the region! On top of that, if you sign up with 5 or more people from the same organisation, we will give you a 10% group discount. Click on the link above to register.
Talk on Summary Judgement (25 May 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, this talk will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). The talk will be conducted by Ramesh Supramanian. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on Tax Issues in Financial Transactions (25 May 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar, featuring S Saravana Kumar, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Dialogue with Criminal Law Practitioners (26 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council, this dialogue will take place at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at the Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 26 May 2012 (Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
Conference on Competition Law (31 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council with the support of LexisNexis, this conference will take place at 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, at Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, on 31 May 2012 (Thursday). For more details or to register, please contact Vilashini Vijayan (03-2050 2095; vila@malaysianbar.org.my). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on What Clients Want (7 June 2012) Organised by the KL Bar Practitioners' Affairs Committee, the talk, presented by Ong Eu Jin, will take place at 5:00 pm, at the KL Bar Auditorium, on 7 June 2012 (Thursday). Click on the link above for more details.
4th LAWASIA Family Law Conference, Penang (13 and 14 July 2012) Supported by Penang Bar Committee and the Malaysian Bar, this conference, themed “The New Global Family: Emerging Trends and Challenges to Family Practice”, will take place at Traders Hotel, Penang, on 13 and 14 July 2012 (Friday and Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
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