Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 39, Number 24, September 27, 1976.

Condeming Cutbacks

page 9

Condeming Cutbacks

Communique: of the National Malaysian Students Conference held in Christchurch on 18 and 19 September 1976.

Preamble:

The Conference dealt with a wide range of general issues, specific problems and solutions relating to the quota on private overseas students from Malaysia.

The Conference:
1.Agreed that by virtue of New Zealand's political and economic relationship with Malaysia there was no truth to the myth that Malaysian students in New Zealand were dependent on the New Zealand tax payer for an education, especially when, for example, trade between New Zealand and Malaysia is in favour of New Zealand. It was also pointed out that because New Zealand has certain economic and military interests in the region, she has a moral obligation to continue her aid to Malaysia without penalizing the number of private Malaysian students coming to New Zealand.
2.Agreed that the Government should maintain the total number of overseas students coming to New Zealand without restricting any one particular group.
3.Pointed to the dissatisfaction of the universities with the way in which the decision was made.
4.Highlighted the fact that the Bahasa Malaysia requirements in Malaysia already restrict the number of Malaysian students coming to New Zealand.
5.Agreed that Malaysian students do not deny educational opportunities to any other overseas or New Zealand students.
6.Expressed strong dissatisfaction at the Government's lack of consultation with the universities and the students on the decision to drastically reduce the number of private Malaysian students coming to New Zealand.
7.Agreed that action should be taken on a national and constituent level to mobilise opinion on this issue.
8.Agreed in principle that a national body of overseas students be formed, the first step being the reinstitution of the position of overseas student officer of NZUSA.
9.Reaffirmed the 1975 recommendation of the Overseas student Congress, that the 1977 Congress be held in Wellington.
10.Agreed that the theme of the 1977 Overseas Student Conference should deal equally with the South Pacific and South-East Asia.

Endorsed and adopted by the Conference with the dissent of the Otago delegation to items 1 and 4.

A two day conference was held at Canterbury University on 18 and 19 September to discuss the recent NZ Government announcement to cut back the number of Malaysian students coming to study here next year. The meeting was attended by two delegates from each university and about a hundred interested Malaysians.

The conference began on Saturday morning with a talk by Dr Kelvin Clements, a lecturer at Canterbury on "NZ-Malaysian Relations", which gave a perspective of the unequal relationship between the two countries'. In his opinion NZers had to change their arrogant attitudes towards people from the third world and not to think in terms of what they can profit from their contacts with these people, but what they can learn from them. He said the intended cut back on the number of Malaysian students coming here was typical of this arrogant outlook. There was no justification in doing this, as NZ could benefit from the exchange of ideas and culture with other people. He revealed that in 1972 the cutback was already mooted by both governments.

Don Carson followed up on this view with a background history of NZUSA's protracted struggle to defreeze the incredible numbness of ministerial minds in handling the whole issue. He pointed out that in the first place the cut-back was decided without any prior consultations with the people most concerned about it - OSAC and Malaysians. He said a lot of confusion was created by the fact that several government ministers were involved from the deputy PM who first consulted with KL authorities, to the Minister of Immigration who finally accepted responsibility for handling the matter. Mr Carson said even then the minister was not certain about his facts when NZUSA made representations on behalf of Malaysians to him.

A delegate from each centre then reported to the meeting on the feelings of Malaysians in his campus. Auckland MSSA, representing the majority of Malaysian students at Auckland University, submitted a background paper which set out arguments against the cut back.

The discussions wound up with the delegates passing a series of resolutions summing up the arguments against the cut back. A join' communique was drafted to be made public as soon as possible.

Another matter discussed was the 1975 Overseas Student Congress' decision to hold an International Students Congress in Wellington over Easter. All delegates reaffirmed this decision and recommended that the ISC/77 deals in equal measure with the affairs of S.E. Asia and the S. Pacific. An invitation was extended to the Director of OSS in Australia and the President of the Malaysian Union of Students in Australia to attend the congress. A resolution passed urged that in view of the increasing awareness among women of their social status the ISC/77 hold a special Women's session.

Image of a large gathering of people

The conference went on to discuss the setting up of an Overseas Student Service in NZUSA to look after the affairs of overseas students. It was decided that the position of Oversea Student Officer would be reinitiated so that someone could be appointed to investigate the possibility of setting up the OSS.

VUW sent two delegates who reported back to a meeting of about a hundred Malaysians on Monday night 20 September in the smoking room and lounge. During the same evening members of Auckland MSSA showed slides on the history of student activities at the University of Singapore and also showed slides on Auckland MSSA activities.