Sometimes we continue to ponder as to why Malaysian local students despite being endowed with such vast knowledge, both physical and human, are still lagging so far behind compared to the others.

In the past, they were at the forefront of knowledge and charted progress for the whole of society. They were responsible for the struggle to help poor people that later brought various reformation and development in this nation.

This question of student progress or student backwardness can of course be approached from many angles. Perhaps for the sake of discussion, we may examine how consciousness is imparted and spread amongst them these days, which may indicate how the intellect is nurtured and further developed.

The history of the student movement in Malaysia actually began even before Independence. During that time, a couple of nationalist youth movements had emerged, such as the Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) and Kesatuan Melayu Singapura (KMS).

Later, the student movement experienced a lot of challenges which eventually led it to maturity. Also, the movement had achieved its brightness era in 1974 after successfully mobilising people to join in street demonstrations at the Merdeka Square to fight for the nation’s poor. That event, which was led by Anwar Ibrahim, is still remembered today as ‘Demonstrasi Baling’.

As a result, the government tightened the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) and stop students firmly from expressing their opinion. This action had affected the student movement and finally it was unable to survive.

Although last week, the parliament has proceeded with amending the UUCA, which brought certain reformation to the Act, it is still not enough to revive the golden age of the student movement. Students are still not allowed to join any political parties, either as members or leaders.

This violates student rights and restrict them from thinking intellectually. The government should review the amendment and repeal all draconian sections in the Act in order to develop a new generation of progressive-thinking students.