UNIVERSITI Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students who took part in last week’s #KamiMahuAir protest appear to be seeking basic human rights for themselves and others. The overriding concern of the student platform known as Mahasiswa was to secure a sustained supply of water for the campus. The protesters were joined by West Malaysian university student activists, who, through a parallel event, submitted a memorandum to  Putrajaya.

The protest was prompted by recurrent water shortages and poor water quality on the UMS campus. Allegedly, maggots feasting on the carcass of a monkey were once found in a water tank, and that was discovered only after complaints of putrid water quality from the students.

UMS has constructed several additional tube wells with federal funds to resolve the lack of water on campus. However, clearly, problems of a clean and reliable water supply persist. The issue of securing an adequate water supply for the university is evidently much larger than can be handled by its administrators. The problem involves external agencies, including the state’s water authorities and the Sabah political establishment itself. These events have underscored the severe and ongoing nature of the water supply problems faced by the students, necessitating intervention beyond the university’s administration.

It is no surprise, therefore, that the Suara Mahasiswa-led protesters chose to make an arduous three-kilometre journey on foot to draw attention to their plight. They walked from the university campus in Sepanggar to the state administrative complex in Likas. Beyond any existing grievances they might have had with the university authorities, they were clear that the resolution of the problem lies in the corridors of power in Sabah and the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya.

Reading from their memorandum, a spokesman for the #KamiMahuAir secretariat said: “We want federal government involvement. We understand that water is under the management of the state. We understand that. There is no need to mock undergraduates. That is why we said that (the federal government] should help (the state government].”

The students wanted to meet directly with Sabah Chief Minister Hajjiji Noor, having already met on previous occasions with his deputy and the water department. They were instead met with a police presence. They were offered a choice to either submit their memorandum to the deputy chief minister or meet the chief minister himself next week. The students rejected both offers. Their action was subsequently not only labelled immature but the protesters are now under police investigation.

Gerak supports the UMS students’ right to peacefully protest and express their grievances. The students’ decision to reject both offers in hopes of handing their memorandum directly to Chief Minister Hajjiji Noor the following day demonstrates their determination and courage. Labelling their actions immature is a regressive mischaracterisation of their legitimate concerns and proactive stance in seeking solutions.

Gerak condemns the decision to open a police investigation following the Likas protest, which appears to be an attempt to intimidate and silence the students. Instead of criminalising peaceful protest, authorities should engage in meaningful dialogue with the students and address the pressing human rights to water issues they have raised. The water crisis at UMS is symptomatic of larger governance and infrastructural issues that affect multiple communities in and around UMS.

Gerak stands with the students in their fight for basic human rights, including access to clean water and freedom of expression, and calls for urgent and collaborative efforts from both the federal and state governments to resolve these issues. This collaboration should include the allocation of necessary resources and the establishment of a dedicated task force to address the infrastructure and systemic issues contributing to the water crisis.

Solve water woes. End university paternalism and police harassment of students. – June 22, 2024.

* Gerak is a national association of academic staff.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.