TASEK UTARA 1974: STUDENT-SQUATTER SOLIDARITY

Sept. 23 also witnessed the demonstration by New Zealand students in front of the Malaysian High Commission in Wellington to express their indignatiori at the "fascist NEC" and the Malaysian authorities and to express their firm support for the evicted squatters.

Caretaker Body?

In the face of such opposition both at home and abroad, the university authorities proposed a caretaker student body - virtually a puppet student government.

This ruse was easily exposed and strongly opposed by the students and lecturers. Repeated tricks failed.

Next, the authorities decided to suspend UMSU. This was done through the University Council which mostly consisted of government `yes-men', under the flimsy excuse that the situation was "too tense to hold the A.G.M." for the l6th Council to hand over power to the l7th Council. (The tension which existed was primarily caused by the NEC and the FRU.)

The suspension was condemned by the overwhelming majority of students and lecturers.. To justify this move, the minister claimed that "the majority of students had not agreed to the setting up of TEC and taking over of the university administration.

This shows that the majority of students do not support the leadership of UMSU. . .Also, the students had not responded to UMSU's call to boycott lectur_es and tutorials. "(New Strait Times, Sept. 27). If so, why suspend UMSU? Why not let the students decide in an E.G.M. or at the A.G.M.?

Voluntary Dissolution of the "NEC"?

With opposition mounting against the NEC and the suspension of UMSU by the University Council, NEC leaders, Ahmad Latif and Sheikh Said declared that they had "voluntarily" frozen all their activities on the pretext that "the situation has calmed down" and their duties have been "fulfilled".

They wanted others to believe that they were not power-crazy; when in fact, this surrender suggested that this power-crazy clique was unable to hold on to the power that they had obtained illegally and by force .