Some 350 pro-Aspirasi students and alumni from various public universities have demanded the resignation of Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah for being “too friendly” with the rival pro-Mahasiswa group.
“The deputy minister has prostituted campus democracy. We are the ones who won during campus elections but he doesn't listen to us,” said Aspirasi president Mohd Shahar Abdullah.
“We are not the traitors, we love our prime minister... He (Saifuddin) is not open to listening to our voice,” he said, drawing shouts of support.
The group had gathered this afternoon near the Higher Education Ministry in Putrajaya, to make their protest heard.
Although they chanted using loud-hailers for about two hours, there was no intervention by security personnel.
Singing 'hidup, hidup, hidup Najib' and 'we love Najib', they then marched towards the ministry premises.
Last weekend, the Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia movement had marched for academic freedom to the Umno headquarters at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
One of them took down a flag bearing the image of the premier and replaced it with a banner reading ‘Liberate academic freedom’. After about a minute, the Najib flag was hoisted again.
