SEREMBAN, Oct 16 — The Malaysian Youth Council (MYC) has strongly criticised the move by University of Malaya graduate (UM) Wong Yan Ke, to protest on stage after receiving his graduation scroll during the university’s recent convocation ceremony.
MYC chief information officer Wan Mohd Husni Abdullah said the council felt the student had violated the traditions of the ceremony as well as set protocols that should be respected by all parties.
“The action of the student shows a lack of morals and values as an educated person and undermines the reputation of the university in the public. The use of the term ‘freedom of speech’ (by the student) should not be arbitrarily used, and should be done through proper channels.
“All citizens must uphold and adhere to the principles of Rukun Negara, which is ‘Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan (Courtesy and Morality) to ensure national harmony. Therefore, the MYC urges the UM administration to view this matter seriously and take appropriate action including withholding the student’s Bachelor’s Degree until an apology is made to UM Vice-Chancellor (VC) Datuk (Dr) Abdul Rahim Hashim,” he said in a statement here today.
Wan Mohd Husni said MYC was of the view that the student and the university should sit down a discuss the issues faced by the latter who is said to have represented the voices of the students.
In this regard, he said MYC also urged the managements of universities in the country to issue more stringent guidelines and procedures to all their students to avoid such incidents in the future.
In the incident, the graduate was found holding up a placard denouncing racism and urging for the VC to resign, to the shock of guests and top UM administrators present at the ceremony.
On another note, Wan Mohd Husni said MYC was deeply disappointed and strongly opposed the organisers of the Tun Razak Cup Debate in English held at Sekolah Datuk Abdul Razak (SDAR) in Seremban recently for including sensitive religious issues in the debate topics.
“The MYC urges the authorities responsible, whether it be the Royal Malaysian Police or the Ministry of Education to conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate action against the organisers even though an apology has been made.
“The failure of the organiser to ensure that the jury complied with the Standard Operating Procedures was a serious error, as it affects religious sensitivities, and that the titles provided could affect the beliefs of the debaters in both the supporting or opposing parties,” he added. — Bernama
