by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 3rd March 1994:
Education Minister, Datuk Dr. Sulaiman Daud should intervene in the plagiarism controversy and order University of Malaya to suspend the promotion of an associate professor to full professor
The promotion to full professorship by the University of Malaya Council of an associate professor who had been accused of the serious offence of plagarism of the work of students had created an academic storm in the local university world, and must be closely watched by international academic circles.
The associate professor concerned is one of the 27 associate professors in University of Malaya whose promotion to full professorship was announced on Monday.
The promotion of the associate professor who had plagiarised the work of students has not only undermined the reputation of the University of Malaya for intellectual and academic excellence and ethics; but also marred the promotion of the other 26 associate professors to full professorship at the same time.
Dr. Sulaiman Daud should, take heed of the strong feelings of the local academicians at the irresponsible action of the University of Malaya Council in brushing aside the plagiarism controversy.
The Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Academic and Administrative Staff Association president, Dr.Wan Abdul Manan Wan Muda said in a local press today that the plagiarism scandal was a “sign of the decadence within academia” and he stressed the importance of maintaing an “academic culture” on academic ethics and integrity.
Wan Manan said it seemeed that the University of Malaya. Council “is not interested in higher education and is unfamiliar with any form of academic culture as most council members are either clouded with political connections or are from the corporate sector”.
To protect the academic and intellectual reputation and ethics, not only of University of Malaya, but of all universities in Malaysia, the Education Minister, Datuk Dr. Sulaiman Daud should direct the University of Malaya Council to suspend the promotion of the associate professor concerned.
The DAP will query in the April Parliament why the University of Malaya promoted an associate professor who had been guilty of the serious academic offence of plagiarism to full professorship and whether the Ministry of Education and the University of Malaya Council are serious about creating a ‘culture and tradition of academic excellence, ethics and integrity’ in Malaysian universities.