Suara Wanita 1Malaysia (SW1M) chairperson Sharifah Zohra Jabeen Syed Shah Miskin has denied she will meet face-to-face with KS Bawani at any forum.
Sharifah berated the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) law student at a forum there and a video of the incident was posted onYouTube which became a huge hit.
Sharifah berated the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) law student at a forum there and a video of the incident was posted onYouTube which became a huge hit.
"No, I have never agreed to attend any debate," she told Malaysiakini via SMS when asked about an Astro Awani report that said Sharifah had confirmed her attendance at the forum to be held at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) tomorrow night.
The ‘Academic Freedom and Human Rights' forum is organised by several student and youth groups, including Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM), Kumpulan Aktivis Mahasiswa Independen (Kami) and Independent Students Front (Instef).
Besides Sharifah and Bawani, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIA) lecturer Maszlee Malik and a former UIA law professor, Abdul Aziz Bari, were invited.
The organisers, in a picture uploaded on the social media to promote this event, state that Sharifah is one of the panellists.
Prior to this, the student groups had sent representatives to SW1M office to hand over the invitation letter to Sharifah, while Bawani herself has confirmed she will attend the forum.
Sharifah also responded to the debate invitation in a videouploaded on Youtube yesterday.
She said the debate was unnecessary as the dispute between her and Bawani (left) was a "petty matter" which had been sensationalised to become a national issue.
Moreover, there was no reason to debate with Bawani because the arguments raised by Bawani during the forum were incorrect and without substance, she claimed.
She said the panellists did not called Bersih an unlawful organisation or mentioned the name of Bersih co-chairperson A Samad Said as claimed by Bawani.
Instead they only called other Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan as the creator of demonstrations.
"That means she was not paying attention although she was in the hall," she said.
On Bawani's argument that Malaysian government has the capacity to provide free education as in other developing countries, Sharifah replied that it was not the responsibility of NGO to answer questions about government policy.
She pointed out that the countries cited by Bawani are socialist countries which are "non-profitable".
The ‘Academic Freedom and Human Rights' forum is organised by several student and youth groups, including Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM), Kumpulan Aktivis Mahasiswa Independen (Kami) and Independent Students Front (Instef).
Besides Sharifah and Bawani, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIA) lecturer Maszlee Malik and a former UIA law professor, Abdul Aziz Bari, were invited.
The organisers, in a picture uploaded on the social media to promote this event, state that Sharifah is one of the panellists.
Prior to this, the student groups had sent representatives to SW1M office to hand over the invitation letter to Sharifah, while Bawani herself has confirmed she will attend the forum.
Sharifah also responded to the debate invitation in a videouploaded on Youtube yesterday.She said the debate was unnecessary as the dispute between her and Bawani (left) was a "petty matter" which had been sensationalised to become a national issue.
Moreover, there was no reason to debate with Bawani because the arguments raised by Bawani during the forum were incorrect and without substance, she claimed.
She said the panellists did not called Bersih an unlawful organisation or mentioned the name of Bersih co-chairperson A Samad Said as claimed by Bawani.
Instead they only called other Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan as the creator of demonstrations.
"That means she was not paying attention although she was in the hall," she said.
On Bawani's argument that Malaysian government has the capacity to provide free education as in other developing countries, Sharifah replied that it was not the responsibility of NGO to answer questions about government policy.
She pointed out that the countries cited by Bawani are socialist countries which are "non-profitable".
Wrong information
In another development, SW1M council member Ema Lee Abu Samah said members of the public have got wrong information about the forum organised by student and youth groups.
Ema, when contacted, said Sharifah was an NGO activist and motivator, not a debater, and the issue of academic freedom should be answered by government ministers.
"She (Sharifah) is nobody, she is only doing her job, she never does debates," she said.
Ema stressed that SW1M was an NGO fighting for the rights of women and children, not tgovernment policies that students want.
"We don't talk about government issues. If the students want to talk, they should direct their voices to the right people. Why call for Sharifah?
"We are not always speaking on behalf for the government... Please ask them to stop this issue," Ema added.
Asked about this response, Instef president Mihammad Kamil Abdul Munim criticised Sharifah as being "unprofessional" for not notifying the organisers in the first place.
"She should have done this professionally. She has not replied to us or clarified this.
"This is because we sent our invitation letter to her. If she does not want to attend (the forum), but doesn't tell us, is she acting professionally?" Kamil asked.
He said that he would try to get Sharifah on the phone this evening to clarify this issue. The forum, he added, would be held according to plan.
Ema, when contacted, said Sharifah was an NGO activist and motivator, not a debater, and the issue of academic freedom should be answered by government ministers.
"She (Sharifah) is nobody, she is only doing her job, she never does debates," she said.
Ema stressed that SW1M was an NGO fighting for the rights of women and children, not tgovernment policies that students want.
"We don't talk about government issues. If the students want to talk, they should direct their voices to the right people. Why call for Sharifah?
"We are not always speaking on behalf for the government... Please ask them to stop this issue," Ema added.
Asked about this response, Instef president Mihammad Kamil Abdul Munim criticised Sharifah as being "unprofessional" for not notifying the organisers in the first place.
"She should have done this professionally. She has not replied to us or clarified this.
"This is because we sent our invitation letter to her. If she does not want to attend (the forum), but doesn't tell us, is she acting professionally?" Kamil asked.
He said that he would try to get Sharifah on the phone this evening to clarify this issue. The forum, he added, would be held according to plan.
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