By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary- General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Malacca on Friday, Oct. 29, 1985:
Why is the Education Minister keeping mum on the Universities crisis and in particular the USM academicians’ controversy?
The Education Minister, Datuk Abdullah Ahamd Badawi, was very quick in his intervention and comment on the DKM’s cancellation of the talk on hadith by former PSBN Chairman, Kassim Ahamd, declaring that Kassim Ahmad should have been allowed to deliver his talk at the UKM.
The Education Minister’s quick intervention to ensure a more open and freer campus environment is to be commended, although I do not know whether this has anything to do with the expectation that Kassim Ahmad would be joining the UMNO, and would even be an UMNO candidate in the next general elections.
Be that as it may, the Education Minister has surprised Malaysians that the could be so prompt in intervening in the Kassim Ahmad talk, but on a matter of grave, fundamental importance, namely the Universities Crisis where local academicians’ dissatisfaction with the university bureaucracies have reached a boiling point, and in particular the USM academicians’ controversy, Datuk Abdullah Badawi had kept mum for some two months already.
I call on the Education Minister to present a Ministerial Statement to the Dewan Rakyat next week on the Universities’ Crisis, which should be resolved if academic standards and excellence in local universities is not to suffer to the detriment of graduates of Malaysian local universities.
The Education Minister must not be seen to be indifferent to the greediest of the local academicians, and only interested in Kassim Ahamad’s talk. When this matter was raised in the Dewan Rakyat recently, the Deputy Minister of Education, Datuk Dr. Ling Liong Sik, said the Ministry had not officially received a report on they USM controversy. This is a must irresponsible answers, did Datuk Abdullah Badawi receive an official report on the Kassim Ahmad talk before he made his comment? Datuk Abdullah should dispel the impression that the academicians cannot expect a sympathetic hearing from him with regard to their grievances.
Sabah will be plugged into a new political crisis if PBS Government fail to got two-third majority to amend Sabah Constitution
Sabah will be plugged into a new political crisis if the PBS Government, fails to get the two-third majority in the Sabah Assembly necessary to amend the Sabah State Constitution on Monday.
Although the PBS State Government’s move to amend the Sabah State Constitution to prevent Assemblymen from defecting to other parties, unless they vacate their seats for by-elections to be held, is meant to protect and safeguard PBS Government’s position, it is an amendment which deserve full support on its merits as a check against political corruption and immorally.
They PBS Government would require 36 votes to get the two-third majority in the Assembly (48 elected and six appointed Assemblymen) to carry the constitutional amendment. The PBS had originally 26 Assemblymen, three Berjaya and one USMO assemblymen had since then defected to PBS, and with the six appointed Assemblymen, it had the exact 36 minimum to make up for the two-third majority. However, if on Monday’s State Assembly proceedings, one or more PBS Assembly more absent themselves for any reason whatsoever, and the two-third majority is not available, a new political crisis would erupt in Sabah.
I hope the Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan, would be able to ensure that he would have the requisite two-third majority to succeed in amending the Sabah State Constitution.