KUALA LUMPUR: A review will be carried out for the Statutory Bodies (Discipline and Surcharge) Act 2000 (Act 605) to ensure academic freedom in public universities, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said he had requested this and to exempt public universities from the Act.
“Public universities are considered statutory bodies. Hence, it is time for us to look at things from the university context,” he told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Oct 24).
“These are among our steps forward. I am working towards this so universities are not afraid of sharing their views,” he added.
However, Zambry said intellectuals and academics too must present their views factually.
He was responding to a question by Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (PN-Indera Mahkota) who asked about the ministry’s measures to ensure incidents where university staff are barred from issuing public statements, do not repeat.
He was referring to a recent circular where Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) barred staff from doing so.
Zambry added that academics must also be public intellectuals and not populists.
While freedom of expressing intellectual views is encouraged, he said it must not stray from being factually correct.
“There are populist intellectuals who just want to speak for fame, just like the theory that Siti Khadijah is from Kedah for example.
“This causes confusion. A lecturer can say anything but it must be based on their own disciplines, alongside proper data.
“Let’s not reach the point where the public perceives that intellectuals are just the same as others,” Zambry said.
On Oct 8, UKM issued a circular instructing civil servants, including officers of statutory bodies, to avoid making statements that could undermine government policies or cause embarrassment to government entities.
In a later statement, UKM said it does not restrict the freedom of speech of its members in expressing statements, whether orally or in writing, including on social media.
The university said it also welcomes any differences in opinion that benefit society and the nation.
