The Nottingham Malaysian Society has approved a motion to debate alleged misappropriation of state-investor 1MDB funds and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s association to the University of Nottingham (UK) campus at its upcoming annual general meeting (AGM) on March 16.

In a statement today, the committee members were responding to the proposed motion by its member Cassandra Chung, who had also started a petition on Change.org to garner public support on the matter.

“The committee recognises that the society’s final stand on the motion should be decided by the vote of our members during the debate and therefore, the committee greatly urges all our members to take notice of this and to attend the AGM to cast a vote on this matter.

“Without expressing if we agree or disagree with Chung’s actions, we would like to take the opportunity to say that we are against any threat of violence either against her or her family, and would like to urge all parties involved to think rationally about the issue at hand before making any decisions,” the committee said in the statement uploaded on its Facebook page.

In the Charge.org petition created on March 8, Chung had lobbied public support for the Malaysian Society to debate a motion on removing Najib’s portrait from the alumni wall at Nottingham University’s Kings Meadow Campus as a sign of protest.

While the petition itself had so far garnered over 4,000 signatures, news reports on the matter had earned Chung condemnations and threats from Najib’s supporters, with some proposing for her Malaysian citizenship to be revoked.

‘Chung is independent’

“The committee would like to maintain that the society is non-partisan and will remain unbiased throughout the handling of this issue.

“We are therefore obliged to allow the motion to be debated during our society’s AGM on March 16. We will not comment further on the utility of the motion and will leave that concern to be discussed by the members of our society,” it added.

The Malaysian Society, meanwhile, also said it had no hand in proposing the motion or petition, and that Chung is independent of any affiliation with a political party.

“Her statements in the petition is one that is calling for an act that will symbolise a need for accountability on the part of the PM, who is a figure that represents at best the citizens of a country.

“Nowhere in Chung’s petition or motion does the committee find a statement by her supporting or attacking any specific political party,” the committee noted.

This consideration is in line with the society’s aim to remain non-partisan for benefit of members who are government sponsored.

“With that in mind, we see no reason to justify why we should prevent Chung’s motion from being debated during our AGM, as it is non-partisan and should not be a detriment to the interests of the members of our society.

“We are also obliged by the student union’s policy regarding the freedom of thought and expression to allow Chung to propose and debate her motion at our AGM,” the committee said.

On the actual portrait itself, the committee also clarified that it was actually a long banner measuring over one metre tall, and also comprises photographs of other famous alumni.