Anwar hits out at Putrajaya and UM in his speech to students

At Universiti malaya tonight, Datuk seri Anwar Ibrahim said that Putrajaya had arrogant, corrupt leaders and that the university had failed to stand up for academic freedom. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, October 27, 2014.In one single swipe tonight, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hit out at Putrajaya for having arrogant and corrupt leaders and ticked off the University Malaya adminstration for being too weak in standing up for academic freedom.

Speaking to a crowd of about 2,000 students and supporters at UM, the Opposition leader, who will be at the Federal Court tomorrow morning for his appeal against his sodomy conviction, questioned why UM was so afraid of him.

The event, 'Pidato Anwar Ibrahim: 40 Tahun Dari UM ke Penjara', had been declared illegal by UM vice-chancellor of student affairs Professor Datuk Dr Rohana Yusof.

"Why are the University Malaya administration so afraid of me? Is there any harm in me returning to my alma mater to speak to the students?" Anwar asked.

Clad in a black shirt and pants, the 67-year-old Anwar said the UM administration was too weak to stand up for academic freedom and maintain the institution's standards.

"Our public institutions of higher learning are producing students without a soul," Anwar said, pointing out that UM used to be respected internationally.

"Honour and dignity is sadly lacking in our institutions of higher learning, Putrajaya was given the mandate to elevate our educational standards, but they have failed."

He pointed out there were simply too many restrictions and obstacles placed by Putrajaya to stop freedom of speech.

"Putrajaya refuses to address issues of corruption, wastage and leakage. They prefer to spend their time going after dissenters with the Sedition Act 1948."

Anwar said issues such as racism, extremism, corruption and religious bigotry were ignored by Putrajaya.

"The rakyat will determine for themselves what is important," Anwar pointed out, adding that Putrajaya had failed the rakyat despite being given the mandate.

"Where is the educational excellence which the rakyat expects from our system? Why is Malaysia still lagging behind other countries despite starting out on a level playing field?"

The PKR de facto leader arrived at Malaysia's oldest university at about 9.40pm and was greeted by a loud roar and applause from students who had been waiting since 8pm.

The crowd braved the rain and hostile UM security personnel who had initially locked the Kuala Lumpur entrance into the campus.

However, spurred on by student leaders and activists, the crowd broke through the gate and marched towards Dataran Dewan Tunku Canselor.

Anwar paid tribute to all the students who were in attendance tonight, saluting them for their bravery and courage in standing up for their beliefs and principles.

"Look at what Putrajaya has done, they have weaved an intricate web of cruelty and oppression. Malaysian youths should be the conscience of the nation," he said.

"They should remind Putrajaya that Malaysians will not keep quiet and condone multi-billion ringgit corruption, wastage and leakage."

Anwar said tomorrow, when TV3 and Utusan Malaysia reported on tonight's event, they would inevitably blame him for the chaos.

"I was invited by the University Malaya Undergraduates Association (PMUM) to speak tonight. I did not organise this event. I am the guest," Anwar said.

He also expressed confidence about his sodomy appeal which is due to be heard by the Federal Court for two days from tomorrow.

"If we go by the law and examine the facts, there is no case against me. The appellate court found me guilty to thwart the Kajang Move," he said, refering to the Kajang by-election where Anwar was initially slated to contest.

"I still have faith in the highest court in Malaysia. The charges against me should be dismissed as there is no case against me."

When Anwar arrived outside Dewan Tunku Canselor (DTC), the area was pitch black as the university administration's claims of electrical issues appeared to have some basis.

Rather than give what was possibly his last speech as a free man in total darkness, Anwar elected to move closer to a streetlamp across the road from DTC.

Anwar was aboard a black PKR pickup truck, accompanied by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and daughter Nurul Izzah.

- TMI