Aziz Bari witchhunt explains poor ranking, says MP
The persecution of constitutional law professor Abdul Aziz Bari shows why Malaysian tertiary institutions are sliding down the world rankings, said DAP.
The persecution of constitutional law professor Abdul Aziz Bari shows why Malaysian tertiary institutions are sliding down the world rankings, said DAP.
According to its national publicity secretary Tony Pua, the “extremely disturbing... over-the-top action” by the authorities prevents institutions from encouraging academics critical thinking pivotal in providing good education.
“The actions by the government and university authorities will only prove that there is little room for academic freedom in our tertiary institutions.
“(It also shows) that the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA) is used as a tool to ensure rigid conformity among the academics and the students,” he said.
In a statement today, Pua (
left
), who is also Petaling Jaya Utara MP, said that the absence of a Malaysian university in the 2011/12 Times Higher Education 400 Top World University Ranking shows that our universities are in “dire circumstances”.
This is in contrast to 60 other Asian universities which made the list, including two from neighbouring Singapore and six from Hong Kong.
Pua said that the poor rankings show that the universities fail to attract top Malaysian academics who are “turned off by the way Malaysian universities are managed”.
These top brains prefer to migrate to top universities in the region to pursue their academic career, he said, to the detriment of Malaysian students.
“As a result, our Malaysian students face the double whammy of not only having weaker academics as their lecturers and tutors, they are prevented from exercising their critical thinking and analytical faculties as a result of the restrictive UUCA,” he said.
As such, DAP calls for the authorities to stop applying “undue pressure on Malaysian academics from speaking their minds” and for the MCMC and police to withdraw their “attempts to harass” the professor.
‘UIA should withdraw action’
Pua added that Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA), which Abdul Aziz is attached to, should also withdraw their show-cause letter issued to the lecturer.
He said that the letter lends credence to the common perception that Malaysian universities “serve merely as a cat’s paw for the ruling party to suppress dissenting opinions”.
“We are not in agreement with the opinions expressed by (Abdul Aziz) all of the time, but we believe that everyone, what more academics in the relevant fields of study, must have the right to voice their views on all matters relating to the (federal) constitution.
“After all, Malaysia is a country founded on the rule of law, and not one which is enslaved to an absolute authority,” Pua added.
Abdul Aziz is under fire for statements made on the Selangor sultan’s decree pertaining to the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department’s search of the Damansara Utama Methodist Church.
The statements were published by Malaysiakini , resulting in police launching a sedition investigation against the academic. The MCMC is also probing the news portal on the same issue.
Abdul Aziz has also been suspended from his post, pending a domestic inquiry into his conduct. The show-cause letter states that he has allegedly issued statements which “go against the university’s interests”.
Related stories
University suspends law professor Aziz Bari
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.