Honour UM student over Najib fundraiser remarks, says Rayer

 The Jelutong MP wants Ummi Umairah Bakhit recognised for speaking out against corruption.

UM student Ummi Umairah Bakhit made headlines in October for questioning a campaign to raise funds for Najib Razak to pay his RM50 million fine. (Facebook pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:

A government backbencher has called for a Universiti Malaya student who criticised a fundraising campaign for former prime minister Najib Razak to be recognised as a “national student icon”.

RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) said economics undergraduate Ummi Umairah Bakhit deserved recognition for her courage in speaking out against corruption.

“I ask that she be recognised as a national student figure,” he said during the debate on the higher education ministry’s 2027 budget at the committee stage in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Ummi, 23, made headlines last month after questioning a campaign to raise funds for Najib to pay his RM50 million fine during a dialogue with political leaders at the International Young Future Leaders Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

She described the donations as the “stupidest thing” she had witnessed, drawing both praise and criticism.

She said later that she had received online threats and been harassed, but refused to apologise for her remarks.

Rayer said universities should do more than equip students with academic qualifications. They should also produce graduates with integrity who were prepared to speak out against corruption, abuse of power and dishonesty, he said.

In response, higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said the forum at which Ummi spoke had been organised with the ministry’s involvement to promote student leadership and give young people a platform to express their views.

He said he hoped to see more student leaders willing to speak up, but stressed that their views should be based on facts and expressed responsibly and respectfully.

Zambry did not say whether Ummi would receive any recognition.

Separately, Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah) claimed that she and several colleagues had been barred from entering a technical university in Melaka after speaking up for lecturers who were allegedly under pressure.

“Several colleagues and I were barred from entering the university because we raised concerns about the plight of lecturers who had been put under pressure,” she said.

She claimed that the lecturers continued to face pressure, and questioned whether university leaders believed they were beyond criticism because of their links to the country’s leadership.

She did not name the university.

In September 2025, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) denied allegations of intimidation and bullying involving lecturers.

It said no disciplinary action had been taken against academic staff who opposed new performance requirements. - FMT