KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 — A Universiti Malaya (UM) student group accused a senior academic of power abuse today, alleging that the lecturer threatened to boot out campus residents found to have taken part in street rallies.
UM Association of New Youth (Umany) president Teh Wei Loon claimed Dr Nahrizul Adib Kadri, an assistant dean in the university’s biomedical engineering faculty, had made the threat during a dialogue session with students living on campus two days ago.
“The dialogue session is an annual affair to be used as a platform by students to voice any dissatisfaction or needs pertaining to the facilities in UM.
“However, Dr Nahrizul used it as an avenue to threaten students, warning them that they would not be allowed to stay in hostels in the coming semester should they be found to have participated in street rallies,” Teh told the Malay Mail Online when contacted.
He further claimed that the lecturer, who is also the master of the Tuanku Bahiyah residential college, had held up a poster of last Saturday’s #KitaLawan rally in the city calling for the release of jailed Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim — a UM alumnus — while giving the warning.
According to Teh, many students are now feeling anxious, although he claimed the majority did not join the Saturday rally that saw thousands march from three iconic assembly points in the national capital to the Petronas Twin Towers.
“Umany condemns the comments that show anti-intellectualism and unprofessionalism. We will not flinch upon the threat, and we will fight till the end,” Teh said.
He called for the immediate resignation of Nahrizul.
“As a lecturer, Dr Nahrizul should be independent from the influence of the government and teach his students independent thinking.
“However, seeing how Dr Nahrizul misused his power to threaten the students, Umany believes he has failed and is no longer qualified as a lecturer, thus should resign immediately,” Umany said in a media statement earlier today.
The group claimed that the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) was lowering the quality of tertiary education here by suppressing academic and intellectual freedom.
Nahrizul declined to comment when contacted by Malay Mail Online this evening.
“I was contacted earlier by the VC's office just now, and have given them my official statement,” he said in an email reply, referring to the vice-chancellor’s office.
“Please refer to the office for the said statement,” he added.
However, UM’s management could not be reached for comment.
