Asia Correspondent（http://asiancorrespondent.com）
Malaysian academia rocked by suspension of lecturer over comments made, 24 October 2011
by Yong Yen Nie
The academia of Malaysia was rocked last week by the suspension of an esteemed university lecturer, due to remarks that he made to a Sultan that is seen as “contrary to the interest of the university”.
Aziz Bari, a law professor from International Islamic University, was issued a showcause letter by the university’s legal department (but is continuing his pay) after he made some comments in an online news portal in reaction to the Selangor Sultan’s remarks on a church raid by the state Islamic religious department (JAIS).
According to news reports, the Selangor Sultan has said that JAIS succeeded in proving that there were attempts to convert Muslims to Christianity during a thanksgiving dinner for a non-governmental organization held in the church’s premises in August this year.
However, the evidences compiled were inadequate for any charges to be pressed against the church. It is illegal to proselytise to Muslims in Malaysia.
Aziz commented that while the Sultan had the right to intervene in the matter, it should be in line with Islamic teachings. Later, he added that the sultan was not immune to criticism and that those comments were not insulting the Sultan nor advocating for the abolition of the royal institution.
Aziz’s comments were under fire because some viewed that he has ‘corrected’ the Sultan and therefore, was insulting the royalty.
After making those comments, Aziz was quizzed by police under Sedition Act, as well as by the Ministry of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
It is reported that Aziz’s suspension from UIA also barred him from entering his office in the campus.
Over the next few days, politicians went to the media arguing whether Aziz erred on the comments he made.
In response to his suspension, Facebook pages were set up to support Aziz. On Oct 21, a demonstration led by students of UIA was also held on campus grounds in solitary of the law professor.
The developments disturb the academia, as they have opened a can of worms on the academia’s freedom of expression. The case has also prompted some lecturers and in the research field to sign a petition calling for members of the academia to have freedom in expressing their opinions.
After all, the academia is independent from other institutions that governs a country, and should be free to conduct scholarly work that acts as markers and flagpoints to the public as to where a country is heading.
The famous American educator Robert Hutchins once said, “There is only one justification for universities as distinguished from trade schools. They must be centers of criticism.”
The decline of growth in a country is not just indicated by economic figures or wealth in monetary terms. It is also caused by a lack of critical observations and grounded opinions from the academia.
The same rule should thus apply to the academia- While the academia is not above the law, its freedom to express views on matters that affect the society should be held as sacred, and not be silenced by threats and taunts.
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