Fake or U-turn? Ramasamy fumes at public unis becoming religious conversion instruments

 

FRIST thing first. As expected, the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) which is in the centre of the Muslim convert student registration controversy has denied that it has issued any promotion poster that offers incentives such as free tuition and college fees as well as financial aid (if needed) to the latter.

For the uninitiated, the said poster bears logos of the Malaysia Madani logo, UPSI, JHEPA (Department of Student & Alumni Affairs) and the university’s Islamic Centre.

On that note, the Tanjung Malim-based university administration had in a statement requested the public not to spread the fake poster to avoid confusion and misunderstandings that could affect the harmony of the campus community and society.

The issue came to light after it was exposed by DAP’s senator R.A. Lingeshwaran who demanded an investigation into circulation of the poster despite denial by the Perak institution of its involvement given the matter has sparked public concern.

In a subsequent second statement to Malaysiakini, the doctor-by-training urged UPSI to immediately lodge a police report so that those responsible for creating and circulating the poster can be identified and investigated.

Senator R.A. Lingeshwaran

Lingeshwaran further called on the Communications Ministry and other relevant authorities to trace the origin and dissemination of the poster.

Ramasamy’s rebuke

Below are the thoughts of United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) founder Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy who spent 24 years at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) between 1981 when he joined as a lecturer in the Department of Political Science till he left in 2005:

I NEVER imagined that higher learning institutions in Malaysia can be used as tools to propagate religious conversion as part of their academic curriculum.

The university’s officials responded by saying that the poster was not officially approved although its existence was not denied.

This is the first time that a public university – whether the poster was officially approved or not – has admitted to the practice of asking students who had converted to Islam to register so that certain benefits such as fees assistance, tuition classes, loans and other forms of support could be obtained.

I would like to ask the Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir as to the prevalence of such a practice in public universities.

What about other public universities in the country? If certain elements in UPSI were bold enough to come out with a notice for new converts, is such a practice an official policy of the university?

Whether the notice was approved by UPSI or not, the fact that it was issued seems to indicate concurrence or at least tolerance on the part of the university authorities.

If UPSI was bold enough to come out with such a notice, what about other public universities in the country?

Can Zambry answer this question and other related ones? What is becoming of our public universities?

Are they meant for the pursuit of knowledge, critical inquiry and academic excellence or are they increasingly functioning as institutions that facilitate religious conversion? –  Focus Malaysia