Disband professors’ council, say academic, economist after court case

 

Sharifah Munirah Alatas and Nungsari Ahmad Radhi questioned what the council had done for the betterment of society.

PETALING JAYA: 

An academic and an economist have called for the National Council of Professors (MPN) to be disbanded immediately, following the council president being taken to court on seven charges of criminal breach of trust.

Sharifah Munirah Alatas, chair of Gerak, the Malaysian academic movement, said the council had yet to produce any significant scholarly contribution to the betterment of the country despite receiving government funds.

She said the council had been used in the past to legitimise the ruling political party, rather than to promote knowledge and ethical values that help and sustain nation-building.

The impression is that MPN has been beholden to the powers that be and not in search for truth or the creation of new knowledge,

 she told FMT.

Nungsari Ahmad Radhi, chairman of Khazanah Research Institute, said he did not see a need for MPN as all professors are appointed by and affiliated with universities.

Although professors are free to form associations, it shouldn’t be at the expense of taxpayers’ money, he said.

They can do whatever on that platform – advocate their points of view, offer consultancy services, contribute towards policy, and more, beyond their usual teaching, student supervision and research work at their universities,

 he said.

Munirah said the professors should engage in critical research and discourse and act as a check and balance rather than mouth the official line.

“For example, where are the micro and ‘honest’ studies done on ethnic polarisation and race relations in the country? What about much-needed studies on indiscriminate logging, urbanisation, rising sea levels, climate change, and the displacement of our indigenous people, the Orang Asal?

So, the burning question to ask is, how has the MPN contributed to the betterment of the lives of all Malaysians? Disband it now,

 she said.

Munirah said the council was disbanded in 2018 when Pakatan Harapan came to power and removed from the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department as 

it was deemed ‘political’ and ‘non-essential’,

However, in 2022, it was restructured and placed under the purview of the higher education ministry.

Last Wednesday, MPN president Raduan Che Rose claimed trial to seven charges of criminal breach of trust involving RM271,000 of the council’s money.

Raduan is chairman of Universiti Teknologi Mara’s board of directors and a director of the council-owned MPN Global Reach Sdn Bhd.

He faced two counts of committing CBT by transferring RM71,000 in MPN funds into the bank account of MPN Global Reach chief executive Kefli Mahpol, and transferring RM200,000 as down payments for a programme the firm was holding with UKMShape, an entity of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Kefli was charged with collusion.

Raduan has described the charges as 

absurd

 and said he will submit representations to the Attorney-General’s Chambers as soon as possible to have the charges dropped. - FMT