GERAK Press Statement in support of academic freedom

PERGERAKAN TENAGA AKADEMIK MALAYSIA (GERAK)
MALAYSIAN ACADEMIC MOVEMENT (MOVE)
http://blogakademikmalaysia.blogspot.com/
email: akademikmalaysia@gmail.com
Member of Education International since 2009

Chairperson: Prof. Wan A. Manan , School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 15990 Kota Bharu, Kelantan, MALAYSIA
Tel: +60-12-9543059 Fax: +60-9-764-7884, +60-9-764-6641 E-mail: wanmanan@kb.usm.my
Secretary-General: Assoc. Prof. Rosli H. Mahat, Physics Department, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA
Tel: +60-16-6205242, Fax: +60-3-7967-4146 E-mail: rhmahat@um.edu.my


KENYATAAN MEDIA
19 October 2011

GERAK ingin menarik perhatian terhadap tohmahan dan tekanan didalam media terhadap tokoh akademik Profesor Abdul Aziz Bari.

GERAK merasa terkilan atas celaan berbentuk peribadi yang telah dikenakan terhadap beliau. Prof Abdul Aziz adalah seorang yang berwibawa dan berkelayakan untuk membuat kenyataan ilmiah dan rasional dalam bidang kepakaran beliau. Mana-mana pihak yang tidak bersetuju dengan pandangan beliau sepatutnya menghujah balas secara rasional dan profesional tanpa sebarang ugutan atau celaan pribadi.

Sebagai seorang ahli akademik, Prof Abdul Aziz berhak menyatakan pendapat seperti yang telah dilakukannya. Ini adalah sebahagian dari kebebasan akademik yang dipunyai oleh setiap ahli akademik. Mana-mana negara yang mahukan universiti mereka disanjungi dan dihormati sebagai universiti bertaraf dunia pasti menyokong, menghormati dan melindungi kebebasan akademik ini.

Kebebasan akademik ini telah disaran oleh UNESCO melalui satu dokumen bertajuk Recommedation Concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel. Dokumen ini telah diluluskan oleh perhimpunan agung UNESCO pada 11 November 1997. Kebebasan akademik ada termaktub dalam artikel 26 dan 27 Recommendation tersebut. Antara hak yang dinyatakan dalam Recommendation tersebut ialah:

“hak untuk menyumbang kepada perubahan sosial melalui kebebasan menyatakan pendapat mereka terhadap dasar-dasar negara dan dasar-dasar yang memberi kesan kepada pendidikan tinggi. Mereka tidak seharusnya dikenakan apa-apa penalti semata-mata kerana mengguna hak tersebut”

GERAK menyeru semua pihak supaya menghayati dan menghormati kebebasan akademik. Semua pihak hendaklah akur terhadap Recommendation tersebut pada bila-bila masa. Keperihatinan pihak-pihak yang berkepentingan (stakeholders) dalam perkara ini amat perlu untuk memertabatkan Malaysia sebagai hub pendidikan tinggi antarabangsa dengan universiti-universitinya bertaraf dunia.



Diedarkan bagi pihak GERAK oleh


Rosli H Mahat
Setiausaha Agung
Pergerakan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia (GERAK)
TRANSLATION
The Malaysian Academic Movement (MOVE) would like to draw attention to the recent allegations and undue pressures impressed upon our fellow academic Professor Abdul Aziz Bari.
We are concerned and troubled by the negative remarks and personal attacks towards Prof Abdul Aziz. He is well qualified to make his stand clear over matters within his field of expertise. Threats and personal attacks are inappropriate and unprofessional when anyone who disagrees should be engaging him in a rational and professional discourse.
As an academic renowned for his contribution to the academia, Prof Aziz has the right to express his professional views freely and without prejudice as upheld by the notion of academic freedom. The academic freedom is a foundational right of every academic, and must be respected and preserved.
The various principles of academic rights and academic freedom can be found in a UNESCO document, “Recommendations Concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel”, which was conceded by the UNESCO General Assembly on the 11th of November 1997; among others, Article 26 and 27 has penned clearly that academics’ freedom involves “the right to contribute to social change through freely expressing their opinion of state policies and of policies affecting higher education”. It further emphasizes that “they should not suffer any penalties simply because of the exercise of such rights”. The recent provocative actions directed towards Prof Aziz shows a clear violation of the said articles.
MOVE/GERAK once again invites all concerned to reflect the basics of academic rights and freedom. As we envision a developed nation, may this nation be not left behind in its fundamentals of upholding the sovereignty of academic institutions and that of academic freedom. Let us be hopeful to shape a country that provides world class education; excellent in all its ways, yet has not sacrificed its soul to get there. All stakeholders must be in compliance with the Recommendation for Malaysia to be a hub for higher education with world class universities.
Circulated on behalf of MOVE by
Rosli H Mahat
Secretary-General
Malaysian Academic Movement (MOVE)

I yang tak penakut...

Hari ni rasa mcm hero.

Cos' I helped my book designer designed the book cover! Haha.But Shafiq pun pretty cool.Dia tidak mengikut melulu.

Maybe I should be in the publishing industry.All I have to do now is learn how to do typesetting.Design2 ni dah pakar...

The GERAK gang are cooking something in support of Prof Aziz Bari although I'm sure he's capable of taking care of himself.Still.. we are thinking of safeguarding our own professionalism/integrity as academics (this vs cheap politicians yang takda kerja, ditolak parti).

On a different note: I have to record my amazement of progress made by my postgrads (both Master's and PhD's ). Transformation came early with these batches.Something I said? Or are we getting better students now??

I yang penakut...

am still in my office, di waktu senja.Quite spooky. :)

Malas nak balik cos' I have a talk to give at Mahallah Sumayyah (can someone tell me where it is?) But it's been a while since I gave motivational talks to students.In my younger days, I was invited everywhere by former students (some school teachers, some lecturers) to talk to their sch kids.Melaka, Kuala Selangor, Temerloh..wough..where did I find the time and energy then? But I know every time it's always a feel- good feeling.Let's do it again, babe!

Gonna touch a bit on the power of one and the butterfly effect thingy tonight.Let the kids garu kepala a bit.

Nos Sles and friends came today.Sam pun dtg.Hopefully there'd be some 'butterfly effect' taking place and that we didn't waste any time trying to make something outa nothing today.

Nik's 50th year

We threw Nik a party yesterday.He's 50.Wough.Hard to believe we are all moving that way.

But it was a nice family get-together.Many were out of town but those who came had a real treat of laksam kelantan and Kak Zu's wonderful carrot cake (moist with lotsa walnuts, etc). Maher came and we all sang happy bday in arabic.Haha.That after reciting yassin and a long doa by Maher.

Lepas tu Aiman's masterpiece (video production) was shown to everyone.A wonderful documented piece of Nik's best moments with the family.

Well Papa, happy 50th year! Semoga panjang umur, murah rezeki, bertambah imannya.Amin.

Teh tarik with Shin

old friends


Nik and Shin

Baju batik which we gave Shin years ago

Guess who is in town this week? A friend I have not seen for the last 6 years.


Shin from Yokkaichi, Japan. He has become a family friend and every time he travels to KL as a caretaker of Japan-Msia students' exchange prog, we'd go for teh tarik.Enclosed are some pics of today's teh tarik at a mamak stall behind Pearl International.The roti canai and teh tark were soooooooo good.

Sepetang bersama The Secret Life of Nora

another Bond gal in the middle (haha)

Msia's Bond Gal

closeup with some of the main cast

super closeup (Tiara and Ryan)

queuing for autographs

bersama Aznil yang kelakar

Z was the lucky one...

Tiara's

Ryan's

Raub Pahang the best!!

I knew that Tiara would not disappoint her fans! Her latest production is another sterling performance. This time it's so hilarious that I was still laughing as I came out of Istana Budaya! Characters who had stolen our attention (selain Tiara and her leading man Ryan Silverman of Broadway) were Aznil Nawawi, Adibah Noor and Mamat Khalid (Lat's brother).Ahh.. they were all so naturally funny!

Part of my conversations with Tiara and Aznil during the autograph session:


Tiara: Where were you seated?

Me: Up there, inner circle

Tiara: Ahhh...I heard you guys screaming..that was so fantastic!


Me: Yeah..it was a fantastic performance.I'd come again.
Tiara: great!!

(Tiara ni mcm biasalah...PR dia sgt bagus..dulu masa Puteri Gunung Ledang pun dia mcm humble je when I told her she brought the Msians together..Her hubby pun very da humble..offered to take my pic with Aznil)


With Aznil

Me: Aznil, we want you! (masa tu dia dah nak beredar)

Tolong sign.You were so funny! I'm from Waub, by the way.

Aznil: Oh are you?? (terus signed Waub Pahang the best!!!)
Put this on the facebook ,OK?


Haha.Z, Nik (who snored the first half of the show despite pretty leggy showgals..haha) and I enjoyed the show.You guys must not miss.It's on till Oct 16.Props and setting pun not of your usual theatre Melayu type.Tiara will be remembered for her reform of Malay theatre (the tech, the cast, the substance and her work often manages to bring all races together) and penggunaan bahasa melayu yang membanggakan.

Syukur

The weekend is finally here, folks.

I had an early start ~ had to send my mom and nephew to catch their flight to Kuantan.Woke up late so no KL Sentral check-in for them.The airport seemed so far away at 7.30 am.

Anyway, Z and I went for our Japanese spa after Zohr (fresh! revitalised! energised!) and in the evening, we checked out a new restaurant which I had not gone to (her dad and her had been dining there whenever I was outa town, it seems).

I didn't miss much. The tempura looked like cempedak goreng! (salutnya tebal 2 inci! even for the bawang!) But I remember someone once advised not to kutuk our rezeki for the day cos' that is simply our rezeki for the day.Just say syukur, alhamdulillah.There are people who are dying of hunger.

That's all I have to say.Say syukur. :)