I refer to malaysiakini report Don barred from writing after critical column?

Just when you thought you could finally read critical comments by Malaysians who can articulate their thoughts into word passionately, one brought back to earth by Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang's disclosure in Parliament that Universiti Malaya has 'advised' one of their professors from writing again for a mainstream newspaper because he had been 'critical'.

What is wrong for the top people running our country? Why can't they hear dissenting voices or cater for the silent majority of Malaysians who are fed up with reading stale and old news in the mainstream newspapers which only has praises and sweep everything else under the carpet?

Rather than silencing this academic for his critical comments, his superiors should have engaged him in an open debate on what is wrong with the running of the university and how they could jointly rectify any weakness. This in order to make the oldest university in this country regain its former glory.

This sad episode doesn't speak well of our leaders who cannot accept dissenting voices with an open heart. Only weak leaders need to be praised all the time in order to justify their mediocre performances.

We cannot prevent facts, however unpleasant, from not reaching the public as ours is an open society. The young, with the minds of their own, know where they can source for information, which is otherwise suppressed.

The higher education minister should encourage the academia to write critically about what is wrong with government policies rather than putting them on a leash in order to stop their critical articles from reaching the public.

After all, universities are where our future leaders will come from. They are supposed to lead our nation to greater heights and prosperity by having analytical and critical minds. If these young minds and their professors are muzzled by the government, we will never attain world standards and our graduates will lose out to their foreign counterparts when it comes to finding jobs.

It is a sad day indeed if those who want to contribute to making our country a better place are denied their right to voice out their opinion due to pressure from the top.