Fundamental rights of universities and academics – such as academic freedom, university autonomy, collegiality and security of tenure – are ignored in Malaysia, an academic-based NGO said last week, reports Anisah Shukry for Free Malaysia Today.
Speaking at the Asia Pacific Academic Conference at Universiti Malaya, Rosli H Mahat, general secretary of the Malaysian Academic Movement, said that while academic freedom existed in Malaysia, it was at an extremely low level. “According to UNESCO, academic freedom means academicians are allowed to criticise the Ministry of Higher Education and even the university that employs us,” said Rosli.
“But this does not happen in Malaysia, as people find it offensive,” he said, citing former International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) professor Abdul Aziz Bari, who had been suspended late last year after criticising a decree made by the Sultan of Selangor.
Rosli, who is also vice-president of the University of Malaya Academic Staff Association, pointed out that Malaysia’s constitution did not include any mention of academic freedom, unlike other countries such as the Philippines and South Africa.
source: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20121109224117939