The advent of the Universities and University Colleges Act (1971) have turned universities into nothing more than a mouthpiece for the government of the day, said a professor recently.

"No matter how you try to justify the Act, it is well known that the Act is meant to control the freedom of university staff so that universities will not turn into a nest to breed anti-national elements," said Assoc Prof Abdul Aziz Bari in Penang last Saturday.

"Such laws have resulted in our institutions losing their respectability and reverence," he added.

Abdul Aziz said it was obvious how the government's directives and priorities have been forced on the universities through circulars and verbal directives that were sometimes not in accordance with the law.

It is not surprising, he added, if universities were looked upon as part of government bureaucrats although most universities are institutionalised bodies whose staff are not members of the public services department.

"While one cannot consider all university staff intellectuals or academics - some of them are only lecturers - all of them must represent, speak up and talk about the sufferings of their own communities," said Abdul Aziz.

"We must admit that we do have a crisis and whether we like it or not we have to admit that the crisis arose out of our own ignorance, something that has obviously come about due to lack of knowledge.

"This is an intellectual crisis and would mean that something is not quite right with our universities," he added.

Individual level

Weaknesses and lack of identity of these universities will result in their staff being unduly influenced by certain camps outside the university, including those connected to the ruling party, said Abdul Aziz.

If they were made of sterner stuff, he added, they would not give in so easily just from being told that their salaries were paid by the government.

Another speaker, USM's Prof Nungsari Ahmad Radhi said academics should not complain about the environment they operate in if they have done nothing to effect change.

Despite the shortcomings of the system, he said, they were part of it, they have supported and benefitted from it.

"It has to start at the individual level, one person at a time. But change it must, for the country needs a more vibrant, pulsating, adventurous environment in the sanctuary we call the university," he said.

Academic analysis

Also speaking at the forum, University Kebangsaan Malaysia's Prof Shamsul Amri Baharuddin said as part of society, the university community must be sensitive or the political, economic and social crisis in the community would have a direct effect on its members.

The university community can assist, he added, by providing academic analysis and public advocacy as a service to the community at large.

However, Shamsul questioned the kind of contribution to society that is in line with the speciality and expertise of the university staff.

He said there had been more than 50 ex-academicians who have become - and some who are still - cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, political secretaries, mentris besar and members of parliament in the government and opposition.

"To many academicians these group of people are no longer considered academics mentally because they no longer work physically for the university. But what a shallow thought," said Shamsul.

"Whether they are still in or out of the university, as someone trained academically, they have the ability to analyse seriously any social problems plaguing the society. Each one has the right to make a stand or support a political faction or remain independent," he added.