Faculty staff in local universities are allegedly "too afraid to push for academic freedom because this may affect their chance of being promoted or receiving honorific titles like Datuk".

NONE Levelling the charge at a forum on ‘Academic Freedom and Rights’ last night were former law professor Abdul Aziz Bari (right) and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM) lecturer Maszlee Malik.

“They go to Amsterdam or Geneva to be awarded a gold medal, stay in five-star hotel… after that, they go to the Higher Education Ministry to seek an extension (of their contract) to become vice-chancellor or deputy vice-chancellor. This is what is happening now,” Abdul Aziz claimed.

An expert in constitutional law, Abdul Aziz said there was no point blaming the government or Umno for the situation, as academicians themselves were lazy.

“The majority remain at the university only to earn a livelihood... When they step into a lecture hall with their notebook, they (churn out the same information every) year until (they are able recite it from memory),” he said.

NONE “They don’t have new ideas, don’t carry out research, don’t compose anything - all because of fear.

“They get into universities (or become professors, deputy dean, dean, vice-chancellor or rector) by pulling cables - and become afraid.

“These academicians have done wrong by letting themselves become slaves and running dogs ... they are not promoting academic freedom, their job is to ensure the universities are maintained as part of the government bureaucracy.”

At the same time, academicians who speak up for society outside campuses are deemed as unwanted persons in the universities, he claimed, citing himself as an example.

“We don’t get research grants, we don’t have the space to speak, we are deemed as subversive, and finally are pressured to leave the university.”

Aziz Bari left UIAM at the end of 2011 after going public with his criticism of the Selangor sultan.

NONE Echoing his views, Maszlee ( right ) said the prevailing culture of patronage and fear in universities has deeply affected academicians and students.

“Academicians rely on their political masters to (be nominated for) titles like ‘Datuk’ or ‘Datuk Seri’, or promotions. They fear receiving warning letters (for disciplinary transgressions).

“They have lost their courage, identity and the ability to think. Why? (This is because) their hearts are surrounded by fear.

“(Students) are afraid that their (National Higher Education Loans) will be pulled back. They are afraid of scoring low marks, afraid of being expelled by the universities, afraid of everything.”

This culture is maintained, Maszlee said, to ensure that the minds of students are like bonsai plants.

“This is to control their minds. It also control our rights as academicians to speak up as responsible intellectuals to change society,” he said.

‘Bring in free education policy’

The third speaker was KS Bawani, the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) second-year law student who was catapulted into the limelight after the ‘listen, listen, listen’ video went viral after a forum at the university on Dec 8.

Promoting the need for free education, Bawani said tertiary education today has become a commodity in private universities, which impose higher tuition fees than public universities.

NONE “All this has become a form of business. People set up many kinds of universities to do business. The main motive of education should be to generate knowledge, but this has changed to a business motive,” she said.

She also said Malaysia was in a position to implement free education right up to tertiary level, and urged university students and youth to step up their demand for this.

Replying a question from the floor, Bawani said she would impement free education policy, freedom of expression and campus autonomy if she were to become the prime minster.

While employers have complained that fresh graduates are inept, Maszlee said universities should not be blamed for this.

“We should blame the 12-year (basic) education system (that leads to) university level,” he added, calling for closer attention to the quality of primary and secondary education.

‘No trespass into SW1M office’

Yesterday’s forum was joint hosted by  Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM), Kumpulan Aktivis Mahasiswa Independen (Kami) and the Independent Students Front (Instef). It was held at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

After its forum, SAMM representative Wan Noor Faril Azli Wan Haron, Kami president Khalid Ismath and Instef president Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim called a press conference.

NONE This was to deny accusations by Suara Wanita 1Malaysia (SW1M) chairperson Sharifah Zohra Jabeen Syed Shah Miskin (left) , who has courted severe criticism of her treatment of Bawani during the Dec 8 forum, as well as in subsequent remarks on the 'listen, listen' altercation.

The three groups had invited Sharifah Zohra to be a panellist at their forum. It was reported that she had agreed to participate, but she denied this and lodged a police report against the organisers for attempting to ‘arouse hatred against her and for trespass into the SW1M office’.

Wan Noor Faril Azli denied that five representatives of the organisers had trespassed into the SW1M office when they went to hand over the invitation letter to Sharifah Zohra.

Rather, he claimed, they were invited to take a seat in the office and were served mineral water and chocolate by staff members.

“This accusation is meant to frighten young people,” he said.

Khalid said the organisers welcome any police investigation into Sharifah Zohra’s claim.

Sharifah Zohra accuses student group of trespass