After having made itself an international laughing stock for banning Anwar Ibrahim from attending a talk organized by Universiti Malaya ‘s Student Council and for subsequently imposing a campus lockdown, UM administration has again caused further damage to its reputation by punishing the students involved in organizing the talk.
In fact, UM administration has also brought much embarrassment to itself and the nation.
University should not be just a place for one to gain technical skills and knowledge, but it is a place where one can develop a critical mind and learn the truth; and hence better contribute to the society upon graduation.
It is indeed sad that the UM administration has failed to uphold academic freedom as without it, there is no way UM and any Malaysian university can play the role as critic and conscience of society.
The UM administrators’ decisions and actions have also proven that while times and students have changed, they have not changed.
UM administrators should know that the students will refuse to be treated like kids and are prepared to fight for academic freedom.
It will therefore be unjust and futile for them to employ unfair tactics and punishments to deny the academic freedom the students ought to have.
The courage displayed by the students in fighting for academic freedom is commendable and deserve public support.
Last night, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang and his political secretary Dyana Sofia and I visited the Occupy UM students to express our solidarity.
In my speech, I praised them for their courage and told them that people like them who are prepared to fight courageously against injustice and what they believe are the hope of the nation.
Vince Tan, secretary-general of the group Progressive University of Malaya, has said in a statement two days ago that UM has a history of being selective in the speakers it allows on campus.
He said that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was given a hero’s welcome at the Faculty of Law early this year where he gave a lecture on poverty but Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, was prevented from speaking at the Law Career Convention where she was supposed to speak on public interest litigation.
The brave students are not fighting for themselves or just against the charges and punishments imposed on the UM8, but they are also fighting for academic freedom which ought to exist in a university.
I wish to call on Malaysians to support the courageous fight of the students.