Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Vice Chancellor Nik Mustapha should publicly apologise for the baseless charge that student activist Yee Yang Yang had pornographic material in his laptop and ensure free and fair student campus elections so as not to attract for the UPM the epithet of Mat Rempit University.
I commend the UPM for owning up to “flaws” in the Mat Rempit-action by the UPM security unit in its high-handed arrogance in confiscating Yee’s laptop, mobile phone, MP3 player and 10 other items valued at RM6,000 during a spot check of his hostel room but what is unpardonable and inexcusable is the lie that Yee had pornographic material in his laptop.
I do not believe that this lie was concocted by the Vice Chancellor but he would have relied on it based on a report by the security unit, which had no password to access Yee’s notebook.
I do not call for Nik Mustapha’s resignation as UPM Vice Chancellor although this is a grave mistake but he should at least publicly apologise for his error and misjudgment in running an university administration where his departmental heads and officers are not aware of the importance of truth and integrity. In the process, they have brought brought UPM into public shame and disrepute.
Apart from his public apology to Yee for the lie about pornographic material in the notebook, he must take disciplinary action against the security personnel for their Mat Rempit behaviour against UPM students, whether anti or pro-establishment, including expulsion of the security officer who had embarrassed him and UPM publicly in telling the lie against Yee.
With the campus student elections on Oct 2 and nomination today, Nik Mustapha should take special pains to ensure that UPM will be an exemplary university where student elections are held in a free and fair manner so that the epithet of Mat Rempit University will not stick to UPM under his Vice Chancellorship.
In this connection, I call on the Higher Education Minister, Datuk Mustapha Mohamed to take the first bold step to give meaning and substance to the National Higher Education Action Plan 2007-2010 to start the long journey to make Malaysia a world leader in higher education by sending a clear message to all Vice Chancellors to hold free and fair campus elections in public universities and to respect and accept the election results.
Mustapha should de-politicise campus student elections by publicly declaring that as Higher Education Minister, he would not be partisan and would not take sides with any candidate or group of candidates contesting in the campus polls, and that he would not mind and would fully accept the verdict of the campus elections regardless of who wins or loses, so long as the campus elections are held in a free and fair manner.
He should announce a “hands-off” policy to ensure a vibrant, critical and creative student campus and scrap the secret agenda of Vice Chancellors and deputies to ensure victory of the compliant “pro-establishment” student groups.
One important reason why Malaysian public universities had been on a downward plunge as centres of academic excellence is because it has been drummed into the Vice Chancellors and their deputies that it is more important for their career future that they deliver campus elections to pro-establishment student groups rather than ensuring that the universities achieve international recognition as world-class universities as receiving top rankings in world tables, such as the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University annual listing of top world universities.
Let the 2007 public university student elections be the first which is fully de-politicised where students are allowed to elect, in a free and fair manner, the student leaders they want without any ulterior agenda from any political party to stack university student representative councils with their nominees.
Sad state of affairs. When I was in Uni (overseas), students are free to take part in whatever they want to do (as long as it legal), we poke funs at the government in constructive manner, take side with the green movements, enjoy the freedom culture, walked barefoot to classrooms, we protest student rate hike, we demonstrated against nuclear arm race, we have never wear ties, we excel in what we were doing both academically and socially.
Najib Tun Razak, Malaysia’s defense minister, finds a fountain of cash in military purchases
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=720&Itemid=31
Opposition figures say the three contracts, one for Russian Sukhoi jet fighters, a second for French submarines and a third for navy patrol boats, appear to have produced at least US$300 million for UMNO cronies, Najib’s friends and others….
Sue the VC for suggesting the poor student had “pornographic” material if it is not true or if the University’s actions were not justified.
These high handed measures by “Napoleons” must be stopped, quickly.
test
another 3 suku appointed… sedih!
Sorry is the hardest word to say in Malaysia, so please give the vc a break.
What example do you set to students, when you don’t apologise for a mistake made? Why bother being an educationists? The VC don’t understand – EDUCATION!
PS. The VC needs education, sad to say.
Hang on a sec. If the guy is more than 18 years of age and has porno material on his “personal” lap top, why is it a crime?
Is he accused of distributing it?
Lets talk serious here. Most guys with computer access would have visited porn sites. Since when is it a crime?
Judiciary, Education, Defense, Transport …….. what else did not go to the drain.
Some misers pay peanuts and they get monkeys; but we pay $$$$$$ and still get monkeys!!!
Gaji untuk Perdana Menteri, Menteri, MP adalah seperti berikut:
Perdana Menteri – RM22,826.65 sebulan
Timbalan Perdana Menteri – RM18, 168.15 sebulan
Menteri-menteri Kabinet – RM14,907.20 sebulan.
Timbalan Menteri-menteri Kabinet – RM10,847.65 sebulan
Setiausaha Parlimen – RM7,187.40
Ahli Dewan Negara – RM6,508.59
Ahli Dewan Rakyat (ni kira MP lah) – RM4, 112.79
So, contohnya macam Pak Lah… dia adalah Perdana Menteri dan juga
Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Keselamatan Dalam Negeri dan juga dia adalah MP, so monthly income dia ialah
= RM22,826.65 + (RM14, 907.20 x 2) + RM4,112.79
= RM56,753.84.
http://wengsan.blogspot.com/
Who are running our unis its not the VC.. But the UMNO MAT and MINAH REMBIT..As long as they are members of Putri and Putra UMNO they can do what they want.Its really sickening
“…I commend the UPM for owning up to “flaws†in the Mat Rempit-action by the UPM security unit…”
YB Kit. you are being too kind and magnanimous to give credit to these Mat Rempit UPM goons for their alleged owning up to their thuggish behavior. The reality is someone high up politically could see the embarassment this bunch of baboons would cause to the Govt and damage their image in the coming GE and ordered them to own up. The VC of course was too “malu” to backtrack especially after he had lied in the statement he released immediately after the incident. So, he asked the security clowns to take the rap instead.
I do not agree that the VC made a mistake. These VCs are so biased that they are blinded to the truth and their first instinct was to protect their own kind without even giving a thought to the problem at hand to determine what is right and wrong. And they try to justify their perverted decisions by concocting lies. This man is a university VC for crying out loud. He is supposed to be smart and qualified and he was appointed to shape young impressionable minds. If he is not able to think clearly what is right and wrong in this very clear cut case, then he has no business sitting in that chair.
Another view to this issue here – http://bolehtalk.blogspot.com/2007/09/vc-of-university-of-great-shame-at-it.html
“two days before the meeting with the security director, a security officer had warned Yee to stop making a fuss or he will be penalised for being in possession of pornographic material.
In other words, Yee was threatened with blackmail where he (Yee) would have his reputation blackened with accusations of owning pornographic material.
And the UPM vice-chancellor Nik Mustapha R Abdullah had voiced that same accusation.
”
Completely disgusting isn’t it? Unnecessarily confiscation, intimidation, blackmail threats, public lies … who would have thought this happens – of all places – in what is supposed to be a University …
University Paling Malu seems like the right name for UPM at the moment …
Hmmm..spot check VC’s laptop la..so innocent meh? come on!
Stop pouring cold water on our great universities, which have been entrusted the responsibility of producing thinking glocal world beaters.
i believe that guy is above 18 since he is now in a local Uni…having porn in laptop/Pc is a crime? since when? then all of the guys out there how???
When I was an undergrad, there were free elections the way elections were supposed to be. University autonomy was what it says. Now utter words like ‘free’ (elections) and (university) ‘autonomy’ you get strange looks on their faces. This is very sad.
The VC of UPM wants to be moral police???
Cannot increase the rankings in world tables, such as the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University annual listing of top world universities, so try to increase the MORAL RANKING????
Those days smoking pot and watching ‘blue films’ as they were then referred to rather than the present ‘porn’, were part of campus life. We didn’t grow up to be criminals or anything but some of us were student leaders who graduated to be leaders of industry. Most held responsible jobs both in government as well as industry.
Caught with porn on your hard drive? I don’t believe there is an 18-year old today who has not visited a porn site.
What did PM and Mustapha Mohd, Minister of Education say? World-class universities.
Stupid joke. Try again in 2057.
BTW, no bloddy lying VC should remain on the seat. He probably lied and plagiarised to get his degrees too which is not shoocking anymore when it comes to UMNOputras and their sympathisers. Birds of a feather flock together.
“Birds of a feather flock together.”
Talking about birds of the same feather flocking together, do not forget they also lick each other’s feather.
huh? never knew birds to lick??
The minister pay is high ? Think again.
A normal person have not much left :
kid study oversea -est RM 8 k/mth
Maid – est RM 1 / mth
Ask an normal auditor how will be the life of an AG, PAC member , ministers and relatives and all related….
Like Hanif Omar said.. Many senior police can be charge merely on their live style..
Take the case to court – Let see if it could lead to a corruption case in the education ministry to prove existence of disparity.
Well, if having porn in computer or laptop for over 18 years old, 90% or more of online malaysia citizens will be hauled to jail.
I receive countless via email of obscene pictures forwarded from here and there. So, I be charged as well?
What kind of stupidity.
Not able to access the computer (password protected) – yet those security guards can access it? Computer / IT forensics also?
Bugger … what kind of times we’re living in. Don’t become another Myanmar!
Since when having porn material on your hard drive is an ‘offence’ warranting some form of disciplinary action or even suspension and dismissal from the university. Grow up!!
It could well be the ‘pot calling the kettle black” scenerio. Sometimes when people watch too much porn or dwell in that arena they think everyone else do the same. So to protect their image and show how pious they are they must catch the ‘criminal.’ In this case for what..suspicion?..on porn? Ridiculous!!
Why wasn’t all the effort taken to eradicate the real criminal activity? Provide material, help them in their studies and help them to focus in excelling! Why tax the students with unncessarily and distrupt their frame of mind?
Is there an ulterior motive? I wonder? Perhaps a spot check need to be made on the laptops of the same people who bring such an accusation and I think a lot of us would have a great laugh!
sorry..the statement should read..Why tax the students with unnecessary stress.
Truly Disgusting! Why not we get Singapore to merge with Malaysia and let Singapore to take care of our administration jobs??
So that we Malaysians can concentrate to work on more important
issues currently pressing on us??
Malaysia WILL have much better Future this way as we can stay away from All those Big Monkeys!!! The Monkeys cannot work But only know how to mess around matters!!!