Student activists accuse Najib of cowardice for cancelling UIA appearance
UIA students during their protest last Friday.
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 An undergraduate student group today labelled Datuk Seri Najib Razak a coward for cancelling late his scheduled visit to the International Islamic University (UIA) tonight.
The campus in Gombak has in recent days turned into an intellectual battleground for academic freedom over the controversial suspension of an outspoken constitutional law professor alleged to have insulted the Selangor Ruler.
The Malaysian Insider understands the prime minister has cancelled his appointments today to attend the Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al-Saud's funeral.
SMM views the prime ministers move to call off the visit as being too fearful to face the undergraduates, the group calling itself Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia said in a statement today.
SMMs fight is for academic freedom and not only to defend Prof Dr Aziz Bari, it added, referring to the UIA lecturer.
The student activists said it will go ahead with its campus protest tonight and hand a memorandum of objection against the governments perceived interference to Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
UIA suspended Abdul Aziz last week after he questioned remarks made by the Selangor Sultan in connection with the raid on Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) in August.
Azizs statement triggered a furore among Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs in Parliament, who demanded action against the don.
The academic chose not to apologise for his remarks even after a police report was lodged against him, insisting he had not meant to challenge the Sultan.
Aziz said he was fulfilling his role as an academic when he said earlier this month that the Sultan had intervened in an unusual and inconsistent manner over the church raid.
Hundreds of U! IA stude nts gathered at the universitys Gombak campus last week to demand the lecturers reinstatement.
Azizs colleagues and lecturers from other universities have also backed the constitutional law expert.
The university has since lifted the suspension pending an investigation.
The campus in Gombak has in recent days turned into an intellectual battleground for academic freedom over the controversial suspension of an outspoken constitutional law professor alleged to have insulted the Selangor Ruler.
The Malaysian Insider understands the prime minister has cancelled his appointments today to attend the Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al-Saud's funeral.
SMM views the prime ministers move to call off the visit as being too fearful to face the undergraduates, the group calling itself Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia said in a statement today.
SMMs fight is for academic freedom and not only to defend Prof Dr Aziz Bari, it added, referring to the UIA lecturer.
The student activists said it will go ahead with its campus protest tonight and hand a memorandum of objection against the governments perceived interference to Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
UIA suspended Abdul Aziz last week after he questioned remarks made by the Selangor Sultan in connection with the raid on Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) in August.
Azizs statement triggered a furore among Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs in Parliament, who demanded action against the don.
The academic chose not to apologise for his remarks even after a police report was lodged against him, insisting he had not meant to challenge the Sultan.
Aziz said he was fulfilling his role as an academic when he said earlier this month that the Sultan had intervened in an unusual and inconsistent manner over the church raid.
Hundreds of U! IA stude nts gathered at the universitys Gombak campus last week to demand the lecturers reinstatement.
Azizs colleagues and lecturers from other universities have also backed the constitutional law expert.
The university has since lifted the suspension pending an investigation.
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