By Lim Guan Eng, MP for Bagan
In a further blow to academic freedom in Malaysia, Professor Dr Mohamad Redzuan Othman was forcibly removed as the head of University Malaya’s Centre for Democracy and Elections (UMCEDEL), while his tenure as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in the university was not removed. Redzuan’s removal is a repeat of the removal of academics punished for speaking the truth.
A recent case of interference by Putrajaya included the suspension of constitutional law expert Dr Aziz Bari from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) for questioning the Sultan of Selangor’s decree in the raid of the Damansara Utama Methodist Centre in October 2011. Aziz was denied natural justice and suspended even before the probe against him had been completed.
In solidarity with Prof Redzuan, former deputy Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah announced his resignation as a senior research fellow at University Malaya. Following this, Saifuddin also revealed on his Facebook that Prof Redzuan had been removed by “orders from certain quarters in the Education Ministry.”
Saifuddin had told The Malaysian Insider that he had learnt of the ministry’s interference about two months ago where Professor Redzuan was called by the management of the university. Redzuan was informed that the Education Ministry was not very happy with him and he was asked to resign. Saifuddin later confirmed this with the university’s vice-chancellor (VC) who was contacted by the Education Ministry that Redzuan should not continue as the director of UMcedel.
DAP lauds Saifuddin for his principled stand that education, fighting corruption and unity cannot be compromised because these issues are fundamental and cannot be seen from a partisan perspective. Saifuddin’s remarks further strengthen suspicion that Prof Redzuan’s removal from his university posts was politically motivated. It is now clear that Prof Redzuan has been punished for being professional, factual and simply doing his job as a non-partisan researcher, and removed because his findings do not concur with the government of the day.
Even though Saifuddin is a BN leader, DAP fully supports his stance in standing up for Prof Redzuan and the principles of academic freedom. DAP condemns the BN Federal government for the increasingly oppressive manner in which students and academics are treated.
Since the beginning of this year alone, disciplinary action has been taken out against 25 university students for various reasons including attending public assemblies, demonstrating with anti-TPPA placards and posting anti-GST comments on Facebook. Meanwhile, three final year students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah were suspended and barred from sitting for their final examinations after demonstrating on campus against a university management decision.
Even overseas Malaysian students are not spared or exempt from oppressive treatment by the Education Ministry. The Public Services Department recently issued a show-cause letter to final-year Australian National University student Aslam Abdul Jalil simply for taking part in a university forum that featured DAP MP Tony Pua.
Clearly, academic freedom does not appear in the lexicon of the Malaysian Education Ministry. Draconian laws such as the University and University Colleges Act 1971 (AUKU) and the Educational Institutions (Discipline) Act 1976 must be abolished and there must be immediate cessation of tactics of intimidation and oppression on academics. Failure to do so will not only destroy academic freedom but also stifle academic excellence where Malaysian universities continue to deteriorate, exemplified by the fact that no single local university managed to enter the top 100 Time Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2014.
