IIUM students, staff raise concerns after Bukit Aman summons academic

 They say questioning Syaza Shukri risks undermining academic freedom and discouraging scholars from speaking on public issues.

Syaza Shukri, along with other academics, NGO leaders, experts, and commentators, was called for questioning by Bukit Aman on Tuesday over alleged activities ‘detrimental to parliamentary democracy’. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Students and academic staff at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) have voiced concerns after police summoned a faculty member from its political science department for questioning on Tuesday.

In a statement today, the Political Science Students Association (Possa) said Syaza Shukri was called in by Bukit Aman over an opinion she expressed.

The group said Syaza’s remarks were made in good faith and reflected the academic freedom of Malaysia’s scholars, as well as IIUM’s independence from political interference.

FMT understands that the summons relates to a statement made by Syaza in a news report published in December 2024.

Syaza, an associate professor at IIUM and a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, is frequently quoted by the media for her political analysis.

Her summons by the police followed that of Pushpan Murugiah, CEO of the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), who was also summoned to Bukit Aman on Tuesday in connection with a probe under Section 124B of the Penal Code, which deals with activities deemed detrimental to parliamentary democracy.

Several other academics and political commentators have reportedly also been summoned.

Possa questioned the motive behind the police action, stressing that it is never the intention of scholars to undermine national stability or conspire against the country’s leadership.

“Possa firmly believes that any comments made on contemporary political development, especially about political leaders, shouldn’t be seen as criticism that is detrimental to our parliamentary democracy,” it said.

The student association warned that intimidating academics over their opinions could undermine Malaysia’s intellectual discourse and discourage scholars from discussing issues of public interest.

“Possa emphasises that academic freedom is a cornerstone of healthy intellectual and democratic culture as universities and scholars play critical roles in generating knowledge and offering critical perspectives for the benefit of our nation,” it said.

Separately, the university’s Academic Staff Association (ASA) said the incident could set a worrying precedent for academic freedom and intellectual autonomy.

It said scholars must be able to address complex societal issues, including perspectives that may challenge prevailing policies or norms.

“A university must remain a sanctuary for the critical examination of ideas, where expertise is met with intellectual debate rather than legal scrutiny,” it said. - FMT