Salvage UiTM reputation, jettison Ibrahim Ali Award

'It's ironic that an institute which has grown to become a university has a senate that's been reduced to the role of a mere rubber-stamp.'

UiTM VC: We 'overlooked' Ibrahim Ali award

David Dass: UiTM is a public university funded by public funds. Public funds come inter alia from tax revenue collected from all races. The fact the UiTM excludes non-bumiputeras from admission is already wrong in principle and in law.

UiTM has more than 100,000 students. If UiTM faculty and students find someone like Ibrahim Ali a role model worthy of an award to be named after him, then the country is really in trouble.

We have a whole number of great Malaysians who have in one way or another contributed to the making of Malaysia and the advancement of our civilisation. Names like Onn Jaafar, Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak, Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Suffian Hashim, Tan Sri Ahmad Nordin and Raja Aziz Addruse, to name a few.

Perkasa and Ibrahim Ali would take us to the abyss. Ibrahim Ali is no hero for the young to emulate. There are many challenges for a young Malay undergraduate. Seeing the non-Malays as a threat is not one of them.

Fillio: Probably UiTM (Universiti Teknologi Mara) has grown too big with too many campuses and off-campuses that the vice-chancellor Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar has lost control.

It's ironic that an institute which has grown to become a university has a senate that's been reduced to the role of a mere rubber-stamp. Whether the senate comprises 60 or 100 members, its numbers do not reflect the respect and authority bestowed.

In this particular case, an insignificant award coming from the most controversial politician by the name of Ibrahim Ali has led someone from UiTM to jump the gun.

Ibrahim could not be messing around unless he is linked to some high and powerful figures. And it's these high and powerful figures that someone in UiTM is certainly trying to address for abnormal mileage.

Multi Racial: UiTM needs 60 professors to decide whether to have an award under Ibrahim Ali's name? In the first place, it should not be even brought to the attention of the senate. Any decent-thinking VC would know how to decide on this.

I am sure someone out there will include this as one of our jokes of the year.

Asoka: What a lame excuse by the VC. Don't pass the buck to the senate. What is your stand VC? You are not a postman of UiTM. Respect has to be earned, but Ibrahim Ali is so thick skin that he dare ask an award to name after himself.

Worst still, there are people of so low caliber sitting in UiTM who entertain him and buy his stupid suggestion. This reflects poor leadership in UiTM, they are nothing more than Umno apple polishers.

Boiling Mud: "However, it was overlooked because there was a department that publicised it through Internet," said the UiTM vice-chancellor.

The question here: How did that department slipped through the bureaucracy to publicise the award? Looking at the excuses being made, is it any wonder that the quality of tertiary education in this country is so shamefully low?

DannyLoHH: This is clearly a save-face statement issued by UiTM. It is unlikely that the Ibrahim Ali Award was not approved by the higher management before the announcement was made for nomination.

But I do agree that UiTM may have "overlooked" the matter - not overlooked as to whether the senate had approved the award, but overlooked the repercussions of giving such awards.

After all, they have been indulging themselves in the orgy of racism for way too long to take notice of the clear racist undertone of the said award.

Anak Bangsa Malaysia: This is the lamest and most pathetic backtrack excuse since, oh, not that long ago when Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai denied the videos and pictures about Tung Shin but later said, "... it wasn't me, it was the hospital board...".

Let's not forget MCA chief Dr Chua Soi Lek's "it all depends on the angle of the observer" excuses after being confronted with mountains of evidence that the police had in fact assaulted Tung Shin during the Bersih 2.0 rally.

Anonymous_5fb: How can a person tell an institution of higher learning to name him for an award? Even Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi or George Washington didn't do that. But we see Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali doing just that. Who does Ibrahim Ali think he is?

Jefferson76: It really says something about the character of a person who suggests setting up a scholarship named after himself or herself.

Quigonbond: One wonders if UiTM vice-chancellor Sahol should be in his position in the first place. He was aware of Ibrahim Ali's 'syok sendiri' (self-promoting) suggestion of the award, and instead of dismissing it immediately as being detrimental to the image of UiTM, he actually passed it on to the senate to consider.

In so doing, he has already admitted that he endorses the idea and will propose, second or vote for the same if a vote comes up at the university senate.

UiTM is funded by Malaysian taxpayers, who recoil at all the racist diatribes. Perhaps Malaysians should stop paying tax in proportion to funds going to UiTM.

Paul Warren: The award proposal should have been laughed off when Ibrahim Ali made the suggestion. The fact that it was not laughed at, but instead went further, says a lot of UiTM's leadership.

As an academic, Sahol should have known what belongs to the rubbish bin and what belongs in his inbox and then to outbox. He failed here miserably.

Malaysian Born: The students and alumni of the institution should consider this as an attack on their reputation and future prosperity. Can you imagine what would happen to the value of a UiTM qualification after aligning with Ibrahim Ali?

If I were a parent I'd get my child out of the place and then stand in a queue with others to throw my shoe at the vice-chancellor. The way he seems to think the matter is at an end with his puerile explanation is indicative of the downside when appointing unqualified political appointees into such important positions.

I hope they save UiTM's reputation by going out of their way to distance themselves from Ibrahim Ali. You can't be held responsible for an alumni, but if you accept him as a role model with awards it's all over - their certificates would be worthless.

Jiminy Qrikert: This is what happens when some members of a race wallow in blind and mindless chauvinism to devise "...programmes and activities related to upgrading the honour and reputation of the race."

They lose sight of logic, their minds clouded with visions of championing race interests and their emotions unchecked as they push each other into a frenzy of chest-beating to be heroes to their race. Then they fall flat on their faces, and like UiTM vice-chancellor Sahol, claim ignorance while dissociating themselves from 'those responsible'.

It is not difficult to see where this comes from. It is the Umno culture to encourage such blind and mindless chauvinism and racist activities through their proxies, thus conveniently allowing them to disclaim responsibility should the rakyat rise up as one voice in condemning those actions.

Passive Resistance: When you have people who don't even know how to tell a sensible lie nor speak the truth, how on earth do they efficiently run a university?

Ibrahim Ali award page taken off website

Boiling Mud: It looks like some sector, including those pseudo-intellects, in our society is still trapped in their warped under-siege mentality.

Instead of conferring awards on academic excellence and national unity, why are they still conferring awards like Race Leadership Award to those supposedly have "clear and consistent" principles (whatever that means) in upholding their race?

Can a highest institute of learning be so myopic with such atrocious tunnel vision?

Malaysian: They need to learn. The Internet has a memory... - Malaysiakini