Higher education in Malaysia is in a crisis and the public must come to its aid.

On June 13, the public will have an opportunity to air their grouses and views on this issue at a dinner in Petaling Jaya.

The dinner will serve as a platform to impress upon Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi the urgent need to democratise and liberalise education policies in the country.

Themed ' Solidarity with Dr Edmund Terence Gomez ', the dinner is being organised by Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang.

In a statement today, the veteran politician termed Gomez, who recently resigned from University Malaya (UM), as the 'latest victim of the prolonged higher education crisis' here.

The economics lecturer resigned after UM rejected his application for a two-year leave of secondment to take up a research appointment with an United Nations institute in Geneva.

"It is both outrageous and scandalous that UM vice-chancellor Prof Dr Hashim Yaacob and the university administration could flout the most elementary concepts of good governance on accountability and transparency for the past three weeks ...

"Neither Hashim nor the UM has been able to give any rational or satisfactory reason for the shabby, disgraceful and short-sighted treatment of Gomez," said Lim.

Hashim could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, Lim urged UM pro chancellor Raja Nazrin Shah to give personal attention to Gomez's case.

He also called on Higher Education Minister Dr Shafie Salleh to intervene.

This is the second dinner to be held to bid farewell to Gomez and serve as a platform to raise issues pertaining the problems besieging the national higher education system.

On June 11, Gomez will share his experiences in the university over the last two decades and speak on the crisis plaguing the higher education at a dinner that will be held at the Strategic Information Research and Development (SIRD) in Petaling Jaya.