KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — The Malaysian student convicted of child pornography in the UK remains a Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) scholar, the government agency’s chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa insisted today.
Earlier today, MARA told Malay Mail Online that it has rescinded Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin’s scholarship, but Annuar said the decision has not been finalised and the agency is still providing humanitarian assistance to the convicted paedophile.
“For the time being, MARA has not decided anything about his position after the punishment,” Annuar said in a brief statement on his official Facebook page.
“For now, he is considered a MARA scholar abroad and we are still helping in humanitarian aspect and as a Malaysian citizen.”
The Umno MP also said that Nur Fitri needs the support and help of Malaysians, not eternal condemnation, adding that he personally felt that the convict needs rehabilitation.
“Should we forever condemn an offender? There are many offenders who are more serious in drugs, AIDS cases that failed to be rehabilitated because we take the attitude of condemning and not helping the youths,” said Annuar.
The Ketereh MP also rebuked other political leaders for their “hasty” statements on the issue, and urged them to be more “careful and sensitive” with their comments.
Several Malaysians who commented on Annuar’s status update agreed with him, with the top comment by Shahrul Azuanizam warning that Nur Fitri might suffer the same fate as mathematics prodigy Sufiah Yusof — who dropped out of Oxford University in 2001 — if denied a second chance.
“I agree that we should not punish him until we destroy his life and his family. He was from a poor family too,” said another top comment by Hakimi Alawi.
MARA refused today to state whether it will allow the Malaysian scholar to continue his studies locally after he serves his sentence in the United Kingdom for possession of child pornography.
Yesterday, MARA council member Nazir Hussin Akhtar Hussin reportedly said the council had unofficially agreed to give Nur Fitri a “second chance” to complete his studies at any of the government agency’s institutions upon completion of the 23-year-old’s jail sentence.
But MARA corporate communications director Rohayah Mohd Zain said today that Nazir's remarks should not be regarded as the council's official stand on the matter.
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir were among those who lambasted the “second chance” given to Nur Fitri, while other Malaysians have also taken to starting an online petition to press MARA not to go through with any such offer.
According to British media last week, Nur Fitri, who was studying on a MARA scholarship at Imperial College London, one of the world’s top universities, was found to be in possession of over 30,000 videos and photographs of child pornography.
Police who raided his home in London found the youth sitting beside a life-sized mannequin of a young boy. He reportedly possessed 601 “Category A” videos and images, which depicted abuse involving penetrative sexual acts with children.
