UM should be ashamed, says Siti Kasim in row over student protest

Updated 6 years ago · Published on 16 Oct 2019 10:55AM · 10 Comments

Universiti Malaya vice-chancellor Abdul Rahim Hashim asserts that Pakatan Harapan’s GE14 victory eliminated Malay political dominance. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, October 16, 2019.

LAWYER and civil rights activist Siti Kasim today defended Universiti Malaya student Wong Kan Ye who recently demanded the university’s vice-chancellor resignation over the racist statements he made at the recent Malay Dignity Congress.

Siti said the only good thing from the row is that the university had a student “who is still able to use his brain instead of kow-towing to the racism apparently prevalent in your university”.

“If you can come up with a press statement on this condemning a Malaysian who is standing up for his right, why are you silent on the action of your VC’s extremely racist statement towards millions of other Malaysians in this country?” she asked in a statement.

Asking if UM is a racist institution and the institution should be ashamed of its conduct in the row, Siti said Wong’s action is a consequence of “your VC’s racist statement”.

“This is an educational body. You should be ashamed to have a VC who is obviously racist.

“It is this student’s right to respond to his VC in this manner so as to get the attention of many.”

The 23-year-old civil engineering graduate is in the news for flashing a placard demanding the resignation of vice-chancellor Abdul Rahim Hashim when receiving his graduation scroll at the convocation ceremony last weekend.

The university has lodged a police report against Wong, who said he was making a stand against racism.

UM accused Wong of not showing any respect for the convocation ceremony and disrupting protocol, charges which he denied.

At the congress, Rahim allegedly said the change in government after the 14th general election had eliminated Malay political dominance and asserted that Malay privileges were being questioned.

Rahim was also alleged to have warned others not to challenge the social contract. – October 16, 2019.

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Comments

  • Social contract - you've read it?

    Posted 6 years ago by Watch Dog · Reply

  • Social contract - you've read it?

    Posted 6 years ago by Watch Dog · Reply

    • What social contract? Is there one? Id like to see/ read it

      Posted 6 years ago by Francis Anthony · Reply

  • The social contract is a myth concocted by racists.

    Posted 6 years ago by Panchen Low · Reply

  • The so-called social contract, if there is one, may have been formulated in 1957. But in 1963 when Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak & Singapore formed Malaysia, does the so-called social contract still hold any water? The Constitution Contract should be the binding contract.

    Posted 6 years ago by Sidney Karan · Reply

  • Totally deplorable for an educator to be spewing bigotry and similarly deplorable for UM being deaf to that but loud about that one protestor, protesting against such racism.

    Posted 6 years ago by Sunita petrus · Reply

  • The board of directors of UM has a lot of answering to do. Please dont chicken out like your VC.

    Posted 6 years ago by Elyse Gim · Reply

  • Meanwhile, the erstwhile Education Minister is wondering what comes after black shoes ..

    Posted 6 years ago by Kinetica Cho · Reply

  • The consequence of a vc's racist statement , the rise of dare to make a stand activist. Our youths r ready to voice out and how about the entire UM's bod?

    Posted 6 years ago by Chong Choong Kian · Reply

  • Social contract my foot ! It was a phrase twisted, convoluted, and concocted like poison conveniently used by the racist politicians for their own selfish bigoted interest. Manipulated and repeatedly drummed fed into the naive self centered minds of the masses to justify it's existence.

    Posted 6 years ago by Justin Leno · Reply