All political party branches barred from HEIs – Minister

Malaysia’s Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin has pledged that the government will not allow any political parties to set up branches in tertiary education institutions, writes Shahrin Aizat Noorshahrizam for Malay Mail.

During the Budget 2023 winding-up speech at parliament, he said that the consensus was reached after Perikatan Nasional (PN) Langkawi MP Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah raised the matter during the debate. “I welcomed [the matter] that Langkawi raised earlier regarding the establishment of a [political party branch] in [the] university. That means we all agree that it is not possible, it is not appropriate to establish a political branch in the university.

“So, I think that is a decision accepted by all. So I assure you that no political party branch will be established in the university,” he told the parliament. Separately, Khaled said that the issuance of permits for politicians to enter universities or colleges is not under his ministry’s jurisdiction, and instead depends on each institution’s vice-chancellor.
Full report on the Malay Mail site