Hanifah

“The time for change has come, and I hope the people in power realize this,” said Asifa Hanifah, a young woman who joined thousands of opposition supporters in central Kuala Lumpur who waved flags, cheered and honked car horns.

Students at the university, such as Nur Hanifah, 22, and Nurul Syazwani, 23, say political discussions, or organisations, are a rarity on campus.

"Among students there are discussions but never in a formal setting, just amongst ourselves," Nur Hanifah says.

A few months ago, she managed to get hold of a mobile phone and called her elder sister Hanifah, who had made it to the safety of Kurdistan.

Hanifah, who agreed to share her first name, told her about Mr. Dakhi’s smuggling ring, gave her his number, and soon the woman was on the phone with him.