Nearly a thousand undergraduates gathered outside the International Islamic University or UIA to protest the suspension of law professor Aziz Bari and to stand up for the independence and freedom of the academia in expressing opinion without fear or fabour.
Although congested and extremely noisy, the demonstration was peaceful. It was spearheaded by the Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia or SMM which had yesterday called on students across the Klang Valley to turn and support Bari against what is widely perceived to be another political ploy by Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government to silence dissent.
Shouting “Hidup hidup mahasiswa! Hancur kezaliman!” or Long live undergraduates! Reject authoritarianism!, the protesters stood their ground as police watched over them with a careful eye. It is believed that several students were arrested.
“13 years ago, UIA rejected my application on the excuse of political pressure. Now, Professor Aziz has been victimised. Fight on and long live the undergraduates,” Nurul Izzah, the Lembah Pantai MP and PKR vice president who was at the campus, said on her Twitter.
Also present to lend the students moral support was Batu MP Tian Chua. “We are here to show our solidarity with the students, Aziz Bari and to send a message that the academia must be left alone. They must be allowed to be independent just like the judiciary and the other instituions,” Tian told Malaysia Chronicle.
Royalty and Umno
Bari had earlier this month remarked that the Sultans in the country could be criticised and questioned and not just bowed to. His comments followed a controversial ruling made by the Selangor Ruler over a Selangor Islamic Religious Department’s raid on a dinner held at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church for alleged proselytizing. Although the Sultan admitted he could not find ‘legal evidence’, his statement was clearly in favour of the Umno-controlled Jais and widely regarded as unfair by the non-Muslims and many Muslims as well.
Fearing that Bari’s outspoken comments could unleash a wave of much-delayed reform across the Malay community, which is Umno key electorate, the party’s newspapers launched an all-out assault to blacken Bari’s image. Former premier Mahathir Mohamad also rushed to slam Bari as being “kurang ajar” or rude. Soon after, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission as well as the police called up Bari for questioning. The professor is now being probed under the Sedition Act.
But in case that was not enough, the UIA board shocked the student community when it high-handedly suspended Bari for an indefinite period of time. This led the SMM to organise their protest.
Cheap politics
Meanwhile, the UIA student representatives council has expressed disappointment at the university administration for the suspension.
“One thing clear about Article 10 in Federal Constituttion is on freedom of speech. It is saddening that academic freedom has also been threatened,” Harakahdaily reported council president Mohamad Iqbal Abd Wahab as saying.
Describing the suspension as an academic and intellectual ‘crime’, Iqbal urged the UIA board to further research and conduct in-depth debate rather than buckle down to ‘cheap’ political coercion and propaganda.
“We, the representatives of IIUM students are demanding the university administration to explain to us about the issue openly. We reject interference from outside the university especially from those with vested political and personal interest in dealing with the issue,” said Iqbal.
“Finally, we urge all stakeholders to respect and sanctity of this university for the betterment of the country, the religion and the multiracial façade that we have.” – Malaysia Chronicle
