Anyone who harbours the idea that the Universiti Malaya is a premier university is obviously out of touch with its recent developments. The sad and shocking truth is that the way it is being run is totally against excellence and eminence.

The current vice-chancellor demands respect when respect is to be earned. He rules with fear and favour. He extols excellence, yet many of his actions lead to degradation of quality. He is surrounded by many administrators and officers who are insecure and feel threatened by better qualified academic staff.

Promotions are not necessarily based on stringent academic performance, although on paper the rules are very stringent. There are new lecturers appointed, not because of their excellent academic and research record, but because of their link with the university's officers.

There is at least one case of blatant abuse of power where an individual who does not have a PhD degree and has a rotten academic and research record, was appointed as a lecturer. The appointment of such a person in is a total waste of the taxpayers' money besides creating a perennial problem to many staff members and students.

Apart from this, many faculties in UM have terrible and inadequate teaching facilities including insufficient and poorly-equipped lecture halls, tutorial rooms and laboratories. However, these faculties have to teach a large number of students. Lecturers are at their wits' end on how to teach effectively.

As a result, chaos is the rule at the start of every semester when the large number of students rush to register for the limited number of places and courses available to them. As a result, many last minute short-term changes have been introduced again and again over the years to try to overcome these problems, causing untold hardship to students.

Certainly, the standard and quality of teaching in some faculties have been compromised because of the sheer number of students in many of its courses.

If UM students, in reality the clients of that institution, were more aware of their rights they would have the courage to take UM to court over the poor academic service provided to them and for the mismanagement rampant there.