UM Denies Protester His Scroll So Legal Counsel Says They Have 24 Hours To Release It
Wong asked if his academic transcript was suspended, but university staff refused to comment.
By Arisha Rozaidee — 17 Oct 2019, 03:51 PM
Student activist Wong Yan Ke's legal counsel has demanded University of Malaya (UM) to release the graduate's degree certification
According to Malay Mail, Wong's legal representative Asheeq Ali said that the university refused to release his client's documents when he went to retrieve them yesterday, 16 October.
Wong said that a clerk at the UM Student Affairs and Alumni Division told him that his certificate could not be released as it had been smudged, but they did not prove that it was true
Unconvinced, Wong then asked if it was related to his protest during the convocation ceremony.
The clerk then said that they were not authorised to provide an answer on behalf of the university. Wong then asked if his academic transcript was suspended, but the clerk refused to comment.
Asheeq demands that UM respond within 24 hours, noting that there is no law that permits the university to withhold the graduate's documents.
If the university fails to do so, they will be filing a lawsuit against the institution.
He said, "As far as I am concerned, my client is innocent. Valid criticism against someone with authority should not be considered, assumed, or interpreted as an insult."
"Thus, UM should immediately release my client's degree certificate. We will not hesitate to file the necessary action in a court of law so as to enable him to obtain it," he added, according to Malay Mail.
The student activist also said that his protest during the convocation ceremony against vice-chancellor Datuk Abdul Rahim Rashid was a last resort
According to The Star, the alumni from Penang shared that he had sent numerous letters and memorandums to the vice-chancellor's office but he never received a reply.
In response to those criticising his protest for being inappropriate, he said, "When you say correct place and time, tell me when is appropriate? The vice-chancellor himself has never wanted to answer to us students."
Wong also explained that the UM Students Union attempted to organise a peace negotiation session between Abdul Rahim and himself, observed by the UM Academic Staff Union.
"I attended the session, but the vice-chancellor did not wish to participate, nor did he answer any of the union's attempts to contact him. When I realised this was the case, I also left after spending some time waiting for him to show up," he said.
Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq said that he disagrees with those who want to retract the student activist's degree
In a tweet, he wrote, "I disagree with him using the convocation stage for protest. The day belongs to all graduates and parents to be happy. But I also disagree with the demand to retract his degree. We can condemn and criticise without depriving a youth of his four-year education."
Wong is currently being investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code
Police are probing the 23-year-old for allegedly intentionally insulting or provoking a person or persons, with the intent or knowledge that doing so will break the public peace.
