SHAH ALAM, 1 July: The Johor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders condemn the directive for Prof Datuk Redzuan Othman to resign as the Director for the University of Malaya Centre for Democracy and Election Studies (UMcedel), as it is deemed as yet another academic crime in the country.
In a joint statement with the Johor PAS Commissioner, Aminolhuda Hassan, the Johor DAP Chairman, Liew Chin Tong and the Johor PKR Deputy Chairman, Steven Chong, they said that the action, which is seen as political interference, still happens at higher education centres even though the University and College Act has been amended.
They said that Pakatan Rakyat urged for appropriate justice, rooted in the principle of academic freedom, to be given to Prof Datuk Redzuan Othman.
“This is not the first time Umno-BN leaders violated academic freedom, as an institution that should be independent in carrying out academic studies and research for the betterment of the country,” they said.
They added that the sacking of a constitutional expert from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari, last year also tarnished the image of local universities and institutions of knowledge which should be free from political influence.
“To create a more democratic Malaysia, the process of democratisation in the education system is one of the most important contributing elements,” they said.
He said that this also cause universities, as centres of academic excellence, to meet with failure.
“We urge for a minister in the Ministry of Education to provide an explanation and serious commitment in ensuring that the issue can be addressed fairly,” they said.
NS
