Gender segregation against UM values, says

KUALA LUMPUR: The propagation of fundamentalist values in Universiti Malaya should be nipped in the bud, says a leader from a university student union.

Suara Siswa leader Dhurgesswaran Veeran was commenting on recent policies introduced by another student union, Angkatan Mahasiswa, which sought gender segregation when using gym facilities and attending concerts on campus.

The policies were passed during the university’s Student Congress held last weekend.

Dhurgesswaran, whose union has 42 members, was concerned that conservative policies introduced in the campus will cause conflict and instability in the university.

“It is more worrying that these guidelines violate students’ physical autonomy and freedom of speech,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

He urged students to reject the segregation policies and uphold the liberal values that had long characterised the university.

“Universiti Malaya should be a model for universities across the country, one that protects students’ rights on campus,” he added.

The segregation policies will allow male and female students to use campus gym facilities based on only allocated times.

They also involve segregating male and females during campus concerts, prohibiting “rock and roll” performances on stage, prohibiting male students with long hair and wearing shorts from performing, along with any form of “excessive dancing.”