among authoritative parties and selected individuals entrusted with power and leadership.”
PKAUM is of the view that an investigation panel must be formed immediately and urged the Management to investigate this in a thorough and transparent manner. Additionally, there is the viral allegation of a senior lecturer from the same department denying these incidents and taken the initiative to investigate the case. If this is indeed true, what authority does the person have to do so, especially when it is clear that there is a potential conflict of interest?
To put an end to these allegations and to safeguard the safety of our students and campus community, prompt action by the university management is paramount. History has demonstrated that if prompt action is not taken, situations such as the sexual harassment case involving the orthopaedic head of a public hospital in the Klang Valley in our own backyard or the sexual assault and rape case involving Harvey Weinstein overseas, can escalate, potentially leading to a perpetrator with numerous victims when the allegations are founded.
If the allegations are unfounded, the management can refute them and take the necessary steps to alleviate the anxiety and concerns of the campus community. For the record, University Malaya is one of the first universities in Malaysia to adopt a sexual harassment policy, and it would be a travesty if this policy becomes merely cosmetic, given the years of effort and advocacy required to put it into place and implement it.
If the allegations hold merit, it is crucial to investigate the reasons behind the lack of action despite the lodged reports and establish a system to tackle this issue. Were those reports made to the department? Were any reports made to the Integrity Unit tasked to investigate such complaints, and if not, why not? According to the Code of Free From Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment at University Malaya: “All Heads of Centres of Responsibility (PTj) are required to take appropriate measures to increase understanding on sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment through awareness and education programs held." If the complaints were lodged at the department, were the measures highlighted in the Code acted upon?
To ensure justice for all and restore the credibility of our beloved Universiti Malaya, PKAUM urges prompt action to initiate an immediate investigation. As stated in the Code of Free From Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment at University Malaya, “Sexual harassment and any act of sexual exploitative nature or abuse of any gender or group of persons is a misconduct that cannot be tolerated in any context, whether between staff and students, amongst staff, amongst students, supervisors and subordinate staff, or other relationships.” We urgently appeal to the management of the university to investigate these allegations as provided for under the said Code.
The press statement is issued by Lai Suat Yan, President of the Universiti Malaya Academic Staff Association (PKAUM), Universiti Malaya
