Human Rights Watch: University Rules Violate Freedom of Expression and Assembly

Malaysia: Stop Punishing Students for Speech

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/02/21/malaysia-stop-punishing-students-speech

Students should not be penalized for peaceful speech under the guise of enforcing school discipline. 

Phil Robertson

Deputy Asia Director

KENYATAAN MEDIA GERAK

KENYATAAN MEDIA 12 FEBRUARI 2016

GERAK menyambut baik keputusan Peguam Negara, Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, menamatkan pendakwaan di bawah akta Hasutan terhadap Sdr Azmi Shorom, pensyarah undang-undang di Universiti Malaya.

Seperti yang telah dimaklumkan sebelum ini, GERAK menganggapkan pendakwaan terhadap Sdr Azmi Sharom sebagai melanggar hak kebebasan bersuara yang termaktub di dalam Pelembagaan Malaysia serta ‘UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel’. Para akademik mempunyai  tanggungjawab untuk memberi pencerahan ilmu terhadap isu semasa dalam bidangnya kepada umum.

Dengan pembatalan pendakwaan Azmi Sharom, GERAK harap semua pihak boleh menumpukan usaha untuk membendung kejatuhan reputasi university di mata dunia. Universiti-universiti di Malaysia boleh dijadikan universiti kelas dunia.

MOVE welcomes the decision of the Attorney General , Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, to withdraw the charges under Sedition Act against Azmi Sharom, an academic at the Law Faculty, University of Malaya.

As mentioned before in our previous statement, MOVE regarded the prosecution of Azmi Sharom as a violation of the Malaysian Constitution and the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel. Academics have an obligation to use his expertise to enlighten the public on current issues related to his field.

With the termination of the prosecution of Azmi, MOVE hope everyone could now concentrate to arrest the decline of the reputation of Malaysian universities in the eyes of the world. Malaysian universities can be made to become world class universities.

Bagi pihak GERAK / On behalf of MOVE

Rosli H Mahat

Setiausaha Agung GERAK

General Secretary  MOVE

KENYATAAN MEDIA GERAK

KENYATAAN MEDIA

2 Februari 2016

Perjanjian Perkongsian Trans-Pacific (TPPA) akan ditandatangani tidak lama lagi dalam bulan ini.. Bagaimanpun, maklumat lengkap dan terperinci mengenai perjanjian tersebut masih susah untuk didapati untuk membolehkan rakyat Malaysia menbuat perkiraan yang betul mengenai perjanjian tersebut.

Kebimbangan utama GERAK adalah mengenai kesan TPPA ke atas pendidikan di Malaysia, terutamanya terhadap pedidikan tinggi. Kami tidak mahu lihat pendidikan tinggi di Malaysia merana seperti apa yang berlaku di Mexico di bawah North American Free Trade agreement (NAFTA). Mexico telah diberi kuasa terhad terhadap universiti Amerika yang ditubuhkan di Mexico. Akibatnya, pelajar serta negara merana.

Selain dari menyediakan perumahan dan rawatan kesihatan, menyediakan pendidikan untuk rakyat adalah satu dari tanggungjawab asas mana-mana kerajaan. Pendidikan tidak patut dijadikan bahan peniagaan mencari untung. Pendidikan tidak patut dilihat sebagai perdagangan perkhidmatan. Kerajaan tidak patut benarkan gangguan asing dalam sistem pendidikan sesebuah negara.

GERAK berpendirian teguh bahawa pendidikan tidak patut dijadikan sebahagian TPPA. GERAK menyokong penuh kempen Education International (EI) untuk mengeluarkan pendidikan dari TPPA.

GERAK mengesa kerajaan Malaysia untuk menjaga kepentinggan pelajar, guru, pensyarah dan penyelidik di universiti, kolej dan sekolah kita. Pendidikan tidak sepatutnya menjadi bahan dagangan. Kesejahteraan hidup rakyat Malaysia mesti diberi keutamaan mengatasi keuntungan.

Rosli H Mahat

Setiausaha Agung

Pergerakan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia (GERAK)

MEDIA STATEMENT

2 February 2016

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will be signed within this month. However, complete, detailed information on the agreement is still not easily available for the Malaysian public to enable us to make an informed and proper judgement on the Agreement.

The main concern of MOVE is the effect of TPPA on education in Malaysia, especially on higher education. We do not want to see higher education in Malaysia to suffer the way it has happened in Mexico under the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Mexico was given limited control over American universities that were set up in Mexico. Students suffered and the country suffered too.

Besides providing decent housing and health care, providing education for its citizens is one of the basic responsibilities of any government. Education should never be made a for-profit business venture. It should not simply be looked at as trade in services. Governments must not easily allow foreign interference in a country’s education system.

MOVE strongly believes that education should not be made part of TPPA. MOVE fully supports the Education International (EI) campaign to carve out education from TPPA.

MOVE urges the Malaysian government to safeguard the interests of the students, teachers, lecturer and researchers in our universities, colleges and schools. Education should not predominantly be part of any business venture. It should, firstly, serve as a public service. The wellbeing of Malaysia’s citizens must take priority over profits.

Rosli H Mahat

Secretary General

Malaysian Academics Movement (MOVE)