Dear friends, We invite you to join us and other concerned academics and UM alumni, in reading and signing in agreement with this letter to the University of Malaya (please see attachment) to ask UM to withdraw all charges against eight students facing disciplinary hearing this Friday. Please designate yourself in the following manner. For academics: NAME, INSTITUTION (example: Professor Harapan Baru, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) For alumni: NAME, UM year of graduation (example: Orang Bebas, UM 1982) If you are both an academician and UM alumnus, please use either one or both designations as you prefer. For concerned individuals: NAME, AFFILIATION (example: Anak Malaysia, Utusan Bebas) Please email your name and designation to: solidarity.my.students@gmail Closing time for signing this letter: 12 noon, Thursday, 6 November. We apologise for the short notice, but the students’ disciplinary hearing commences at 9am, Friday, 7 November. Please help us forward this petition to other academics, UM alumni and concerned individuals. Thank you. Sincerely, Dr. Rusaslina Idrus, University of Malaya Dr. Lee Hwok Aun, University of Malaya Masjaliza Hamzah ****************************** In solidarity with UM8 4 November 2014 We, the undersigned individuals, call on Universiti Malaya (UM) to drop the charges against student leader Fahmi Zainol and all other students, pertaining to the forum entitled “Empat Puluh Tahun Dari UM ke Penjara” which took place on campus on 27 October 2014. We support the right of Persatuan Mahasiswa Universiti Malaya (PMUM), as an elected body representing UM students, to organise events on campus. Their choice of topic for the lecture is reflective of the currently debated issue within academia and society. We laud the students’ initiative in seeking knowledge and critical views in understanding this issue further. The choice of inviting a politician as a guest speaker is not extraordinary as the university regularly has political leaders coming to speak on its campus. We wish to also record our serious concern and raise objection to the series of actions taken by UM in the handling of this event. The university’s response raises serious concerns regarding the professionalism of its administrators and the institution’s commitment to academic integrity and intellectual freedom. First, instead of respecting the elected student body’s autonomy in planning the event, the university declared the programme illegal and claimed that it would tarnish the university’s image. Second, on the day of the event, UM staff members were instructed to leave the campus early and classes were cancelled under the guise of electrical malfunction and safety concerns. Instead of engaging in a discussion with the student organisers, the administrators stooped to lame excuses of bad weather and electrical malfunction to block the students’ activity. Third, heavy control of traffic through the gates impinged on students’ right to move freely, culminating with a lockdown at the KL gate side, unnecessarily creating a climate of tension. We note that while it is unfortunate there was property damage in the form of a broken lock and chain and a dent to the gate, this could easily have been avoided had the university allowed the movement of people and traffic, instead of locking the gates and barricading the campus. Fourth, after the event, instead of engaging the student leaders in a productive dialogue, the university chose to slap them with up to nine disciplinary charges, as a means of punishment. We urge the university to move away from treating its students in a punitive manner. We note the irony that in the mishandling of this event, it is the administration that is tarnishing the university image, not only nationally but also within the global academic community. As a university that aspires to be a “leader in research and innovation”, the suppression of intellectual freedom and diversity of opinion is contradictory to this mission. In order to create an environment of innovation and creativity, students must be allowed space to be independent and critical thinkers. UM’s aspiration to be a world-class university can only be achieved if it strives to produce creative thinkers, not timid followers. Historically, UM has always been a dynamic space for campus activities and student activism. This space of academic freedom has produced some of our country’s most important leaders in many different fields and industries. We urgently call on the UM management to respect and uphold academic freedom, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly of students and academics in this premier university. We reiterate our call for UM to drop the charges against the eight students and begin dialogues between the university administration and staff and students, on this matter.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 16:14:46 +0000
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