“Selective prosecution won’t deter Prof Hilman from exposing flaws in public varsity’s admission system”

 

STEADFAST former Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) vice chancellor-turned-PAS loyalist Prof Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah will not withdraw his claim of “backdoor entry” on the issue of open channel admissions to public universities.

This follows the Kedah state EXCO for industry and investment, higher education, science, technology and innovation having pleaded not guilty in the Seremban Magistrate’s Court yesterday (June 25) to a charge of making statements likely to cause public alarm on the above matter.

“Please do whatever you want, including handcuffing me as long as you are still in power,” the Central PAS Working Committee member penned on his Facebook page to the roar of 57K likes, 5.4K comments and 5K shares at the time of writing.

Being brought to court is much lighter than seeing thousands of poor children continue to be denied the opportunity to go to public universities. I’ll continue to speak out until their rights are restored.

I’m happy to inform you that the charge against me today has actually opened the door to (exposing) many more critical issues underneath it.

According to the charge, Prof Hilman, 53, is alleged to have committed the offence between 8pm and midnight on June 13 at the PAS Seremban headquarters along Jalan Jelebu in Seremban.

He was charged under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code which carries a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment, a fine or both upon conviction.

The court granted bail at RM5,000 with one surety and set July 30 as the next mention date.

Apparently, the Higher Education (MOHE) had on June 15 took a serious view of the unfounded allegations made by Prof Hilman regarding the public university admission system.

Recount that the Jitra state assemblyman has challenged the MOHE to reveal the actual number of students entering public universities through channels other than the centralised UPUOnline application system, especially in critical programmes.

This eventually led the ‘secular academician” to make the following damning revelations by:

• Questioning why students who fail to secure entry through UPUOnline can be admitted through paid channels with full fees.
• Claiming that this system affects the opportunities of B40 and M40 students who compete based on merit.
• Citing the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Rectors of Public Universities (JKNCR) data which states that approximately 11,860 students a year enter public varsities through open channels.

Editor’s Note: JKNCR has since denied the claim that public higher learning institutions have engaged in the practice of selling admission slots or providing entry through the “backdoor” to any party.

It further dismissed Prof Hilman’s accusation as baseless while indirectly cast doubt on the integrity of the student admission system and the credibility of the country’s higher education institutions.

• Emphasising that more than 30,000 UPUOnline 2025 applicants did not receive offers even though other channels are still open.
• Raising concerns over dormitory shortages and student welfare emphasis amid the proposed MOHE budget reduction by RM2.39 bil.
• Urging MOHE to guarantee that poor students are not prevented from registering at public tertiary institutions due to high registration fees.

Like it or not, the legal action against Prof Hilman has sparked furore from PAS with its secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan condemning the Madani government of “selective prosecution”.

“The issue raised by Prof Hilman is related to access to tertiary education of which he himself is a figure in that field for a long time,” the Kota Bharu MP hit out in a media statement.

“His speech on June 13 was both a rebuke and a check and balance exercise against government policies, especially in the field of higher education at current times in a factual and non-emotional manner.” –  Focus Malaysia