Why We Should Care About Marina Mahathir's 5th Ban From Public Universities
Socio-politic activist Marina Mahathir was denied permission from giving a talk in not only one public university, but five. But to Hew Lee Yee, that was not the most surprising thing about this issue.
By Hew Lee Yee — 15 Jan 2015, 12:47 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
On 13 Jan 2015, Marina Mahathir revealed on Facebook that she was denied entry from not only one, but five public universities. She had been invited by the students to give a talk at the campus.
This is Marina Mahathir we're talking about! The lady who was awarded UN Person of The Year in 2010 for her commendable work in combatting HIV/AIDS.
She served as the President of the Malaysian AIDS Council for 12 years from 1993-2005. In addition Marina has served on many regional and international HIV/AIDS bodies including the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific (ASAP), UNAIDS and the Asia Pacific Leadership Forum on HIV and Development (APLF).
In 2010, Marina was named the UN Person of the Year by the United Nations in Malaysia.
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She is also an active campaigner for women's rights and serves as a member of the Board of Sisters in Islam
Currently she is a member of the Board of Sisters in Islam, which advocates for justice and equality for Muslim women. She is also a member of the International Advisory Group of Musawah, the global movement for justice and equality in the Muslim family.
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The social activist has always been very vocal in criticising the flaws of the government. In a recent interview with SAYS, Marina spoke of her disappointment at how the authorities are using the Sedition Act to restrict free speech.
In the interview, Marina said: "The whole thing (issue with extremism in Malaysia) is about being able to express an opinion and not be penalised for it because it’s different. It’s about freedom of speech and freedom of expression. That’s what we need to fight for. The space for expression needs to be constantly expanded and not kept narrow. IGP (Inspector-General of Police) says if you insult the police they’ll get you under the Sedition Act, but the Sedition Act doesn’t cover things like that."
In the comments left on Marina's Facebook status about the university ban, Malaysians pointed out the irony of universities restricting students from learning and questioning
Umno member Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah also voiced his disappointment, saying the spirit to the amendment of the Universities and University Colleges Act is not understood by many university administrators
An Umno man has come to the support of human rights activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir who claimed she had been barred from participating in a university forum, describing the matter as sad. National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) member Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said this was not the first time a public figure had been barred from entering campus compound to give a talk.
“This has happened before I became a deputy minister, when I was a deputy minister and even after that.” the former Higher Education Deputy Minister said. Saifuddin said even he was barred from giving a talk in a local university when he was in office and claimed that the list was growing by the day.
“It is quite apparent that the spirit to the amendment of Section 15 of the Universities and University Colleges Act is not understood by many university administrators.This is not shocking news, but sad because of all people it is Marina and it is about time university administrators change their way of doing things,” Saifuddin said.
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It is ironic that Marina Mahathir was denied permission from giving a talk but a seminar that spoke against Christianity was allowed at UiTM back in May 2014
In an hour-long lecture on the history of Christianity to more than 1,000 students from the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) here, Masyud S.M also argued that the parts of the Bible based on his teachings should simply be called “Tales of Jesus” instead of the “Gospel”.
He also argued that books in the Bible written by Christ’s disciples such as Matthew, Mark, and Luke were considered hearsay and similarly should not be considered the Word of God.
Citing experts he did not name, Masyud claimed that experts on the New Testament have said 82 per cent of the words ascribed to Jesus in the gospel were not actually spoken by him.
themalaymailonline.com
Ever since Marina broke her silence about the ban, we have been monitoring the media to see how the news would play out. To our surprise, mainstream media have barely reported the issue.
The story was picked up by three alternative online news sites The Malaysian Insider, The Rakyat Post and Free Malaysia Today. The only mainstream media that reported the issue was The Malay Mail Online. There were no mentions of her ban from major print newspapers like The Star, New Straits Times, Berita Harian and the likes. Even so, the select few new sites that did cover the issue only did a very brief coverage.
Why are there not more coverage of the news surrounding her 'ban' from these public universities?
The issue of academic freedom is becoming ever more pressing. In October 2014, University Malaya declared an event featuring Anwar Ibrahim as an "illegal gathering" and went as far as suspending the students who organised the event.
The country’s premier university has banned a campus talk by alumnus and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim scheduled for tomorrow, claiming the event organised by its student council is an illegal gathering aimed at “toppling the government”.
themalaymailonline.com
Universiti Malaya (UM) has decided to suspend and fine two out of eight students who were accused of organising a banned programme that saw opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim entering the campus in late October.
themalaysianinsider.com
During the same month, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) stopped law lecturer Associate Professor Dr Azmi Sharom from speaking at an anti-Sedition Act event by chasing him out of the campus
According to online news reports, Dr Azmi was invited by Gabungan Mahasiswa UKM (GMUKM) to launch an anti-Sedition Act movement at UKM's campus in Bangi which was scheduled at 8.30pm.
Dr Azmi, who is a columnist for The Star, was quoted as saying that he was told to leave by the security guards after reaching the venue, where hundreds of students were reportedly present. According to the Universiti Malaya law professor, the security guards did not give any reasons but merely said that the event was banned by UKM’s management.
A programme aimed at raising awareness on the hazards of the Sedition Act turned into a "life lesson" for Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) students after the invited speaker, law lecturer Associate Professor Dr Azmi Sharom, was "chased out" of the venue by security guards.
Azmi, who was charged with sedition on September 2, had been invited by Gabungan Mahasiswa UKM (GMUKM) to officiate an anti-sedition act movement and speak with the students on the colonial-era law at UKM's campus in Bangi last night.
themalaysianinsider.com
Universities, public or private, are a place of questioning, critical thinking, and growing. Will young minds grow to have the ability to think independently, clearly, and rationally when their teachers suppress their learning process?
What university rules have been breached? In what way can the university’s reputation be tarnished if Anwar were to speak at his alma mater? Is UM colluding with the BN to bar Anwar from speaking to the students? UM is not an extension of the BN. It is not BN’s agency.
Any university must live up to its reputation as a seat of learning. It must live up to the peoples’ expectation that it is a powerhouse of knowledge where future leaders are groomed and exposed to various contending issues so that they will come out as thinking and reasoning individuals who can uphold justice and freedom of expression.
"No matter how draconian a university's administration is on student activists, and no matter the extent to which some will (try to force) intellectual containment in our campuses, student activism will never die – students will only be hardened and continue to revive and rise.” - Former deputy higher education minister, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah
themalaysianinsider.com
Are our public universities becoming an extension of the government with a political agenda?
UUCA (Universities and University Colleges Act), before its amendment, had been criticised as a tool to stifle student freedom and suppress thought. Saifuddin was among the few Umno politicians who advocated changing the law to allow students to participate in politics.
themalaysianinsider.com
On a larger scale, students hold the same democratic and constitutional right to seek information and express their opinion
Malaysian NGO Bersih 2.0 have expressed their disappointment in UM authorities for stifling the students' rights. They should be able to exercise their rights as long as they are not advocating hate speech or violence. Read about what they have to say below:
The NGO said in a statement today that the freedom of expression of students must be respected and upheld, including inviting any speaker of their own choosing through orderly means.
“No citizen should be penalised for exercising their democratic and constitutional right to seek information and express their opinions, and this includes the UM8,” it said.
In the case of Anwar Ibrahim and Azmi Sharom, students have shown that imposing a ban will not stop them. The students and the speakers have retaliated, defied, and pushed on for their right to academic freedom.
University Malaya (UM) students are relentless in the pursuit of academic freedom as this time, they will be camping outside the campus to pressure the university into withdrawing punishments inflicted upon seven of its undergraduates.
The students under a movement tagged as “Occupy UM with UM8″ has made a camp on the green grass situated just outside the university’s Bangsar entrance where they will staying until their demand is adhered.
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One of the organisers picked me up at the entrance and told me we had to enter on foot due to the roadblocks," Azmi told The Malaysian Insider.
"So we congregated at a parking lot outside the campus, and I gave a speech for about 20 minutes as it was just really hot and dark and uncomfortable and it was getting late."
themalaysianinsider.com
Banning Marina Mahathir will not stop students from speaking to her too. It is not difficult for Marina, or Anwar, or Azmi Sharom to create a connection with students outside of campus grounds.
