Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia student activist Adam Adli, who lowered a flag depicting Umno president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the Umno headquarters on December 17th, has been suspended for one and a half years by Sultan Idris Education University or UPSI.

UPSI vice-chancellor Professor Dr Zakaria Kasa says the decision to suspend 22-year-old Adam -- a second-year TESL student at UPSI -- for three semesters was not harsh, as Adam had violated his "Aku Janji" promise to not act in way that will bring disrepute to the university. Zakaria says that prior to the incident, Adam had been issued a warning before, so a suspension was the next course of action. He adds that expulsion is the most severe form of disciplinary action to be taken by the university.

In the following interview, Zakaria discusses why he believes Adam's actions has damaged the university's reputation, his response to Adam's claims as well as the university's stand on student demonstrations.