Act 605 needs review to grant exemptions to university academics making statements - Zambry

KUALA LUMPUR: There is a need to review the Statutory Bodies (Discipline and Surcharge) Act 2000 (Act 605) to grant exemptions to higher education institutions (IPT) in matters like academics issuing statements, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the move aims to ensure that public universities in the country are not bound by the entirety of the circulars issued to statutory bodies.

"After this issue arose, I held a high-level meeting to see why these constraints exist in the context of our academic world, and the biggest obstacle is the existence of Act 605.

"Several attempts have been made and I have requested for Act 605 to be reviewed to provide exemptions in the context of public universities, as they are considered statutory bodies, and there are 12 institutions exempted under Act 605.

"It is time for us to consider the context of a university, such as Articles 18(1) and (2), which address what can and cannot be done," he said during the Minister's Question Time.

He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (PN-Indera Mahkota), who wanted to know the ministry's steps to prevent a recurrence of incidents like Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) prohibiting its staff from making public statements.

Zambry said the steps he is taking might be seen as 'radical,' but they are necessary so that university staff are not constrained by fear in expressing their views.

However, he reminded academics to use their intellectual prowess to speak based on facts and avoid presenting unfounded theories.

"I have already addressed this with the universities; if there is any confusion or ambiguity in the interpretations made, they should first inform the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) so that we can clarify, and that reminder should be heeded," he said.

In response to Saifuddin's supplementary question about progressive measures to ensure universities are not viewed like any other government department, Zambry said KPT will assess the higher education ecosystem as part of a long-term plan.

"I understand that it cannot be too rigid because the academic world is evaluated differently regarding the presence of lecturers, as lecturers cannot be viewed in the context of public service and forced to clock in at 8 am and leave at 5 pm.

"That is not the true academic world because the academic realm is divided into teaching and research, and is subject to the climate of the education ecosystem. So, we are working on this to restore the true spirit of the university by providing space to speak and think, while at the same time, lecturers are responsible for their academic discipline," he added.

-- BERNAMA

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