'Get academicians as education, higher education ministers post GE16'

Former education minister Maszlee Malik urged Pakatan Harapan to appoint academicians to become education and higher education ministers if it retains Putrajaya after the next general election.

The measure, he added, could help prevent the academic space from being “violated and defiled” by politicians.

"I was committed during my tenure as education minister that the academic space is sacred and it should be respected and not defiled by politicians.

"Preferably, the minister who takes care of the education and higher education ministries are not politicians like what happened in Indonesia, where Nadiem Anwar Makarim was tasked with helming the education portfolio," he told a seminar at Bangi, Selangor.

Nadiem was the former CEO and co-founder of Indonesia’s e-hailing company Gojek - who left the business to join President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) cabinet.

Maszlee (above) noted how Jokowi had roped in academicians to become education ministers previously.

"We hope that after GE16, we can set a precedent where those who become education and higher education ministers are not politicians but people from the education fraternity.

"Let those who understand the heart (of the education fraternity) handle the job, not politicians who go after political position," the former Simpang Renggam MP said.

Maszlee, an academic-turned-politician, said he had defended academic freedom and autonomy during his tenure as education minister between May 2018 and January 2020.

Citing the incident where artist and activist Fahmi Reza was barred from holding a forum on democracy at UKM before the 15th general election (GE15), Maszlee said the universities during his tenure opened their doors to politicians.

"I remembered a UKM lecturer penned an article criticising the Harapan administration as a dirty government. The matter was brought to the cabinet and some called for action.

"I told the Harapan government that we are committed to fighting for academic freedom. If they criticise, we simply respond to their remarks.

“If they said (we were) rubbish, then we show them who we really are, not take action against them," he said.

"The era of punitive or taking action against academicians ended in 2018," Maszlee stressed.

Maszlee, however, urged academicians to write or comment with facts and basis, instead of becoming the mouthpiece of a particular political party and ending up tarnishing their own reputation.

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