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UiTM stuck in the past? DAP MP asks after lecturer allegedly penalised

UiTM stuck in the past? DAP MP asks after lecturer allegedly penalised
UiTM stuck in the past? DAP MP asks after lecturer allegedly penalised

Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng has questioned Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) if it penalised a staff member who had organised a study trip to the DAP headquarters.

This comes after allegations surfaced that UiTM Raub deputy rector Che Hamdan Che Mohd Razali had been pressured to resign.

If the allegations were true, the DAP lawmaker said the move constituted a violation of academic and political freedom.

“It is important to defend academic freedom, especially at higher learning institutes to expand the minds of students, as well as to expose them to the political narratives that exist in Malaysia.

“Access to opposition parties should not be blocked because higher learning institutes in Malaysia should respect students’ political views,” he said.

Lim thus hoped Che Hamdan would not be penalised.

“The move to force the lecturer to resign because they approved a trip to an opposition party’s office just shows an institution is still stuck in the past and can’t accept political differences,” he said.

He stressed that DAP was a registered political party with a long history and governing experience.

Yesterday, one of Che Hamdan’s students defended the study trip and said it was his political science class that had requested to visit DAP.

The trip was conducted in December 2019, when the party was a part of the Pakatan Harapan government.

UiTM has yet to respond to Malaysiakini’s requests for comment.