UiTM don’s ‘seditious’ remarks draw flak

A business organisation and a NGO see red with Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar over his statements regarding non-Bumi students being given a place in UiTM.

KUALA LUMPUR: A business organisation has urged the Higher Education Ministry to act against Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) vice-chancellor Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar over his “seditious” remarks.

The Malaysian Indian Business Association (MIBA) was referring to an interview with Sahol published in the Malay weekly Mingguan Siasah.

In the article, Sahol had, among others, said that Malay leaders should rise to the ocassion to defend UiTM when the issue of opening up the institution to non-bumiputera arises.

(Pihak yang mempunyai keupayaan perlu menyahut cabaran, jangan apabila isu kuota membuka UiTM kepada bukan Bumiputera, tidak ramai pemimpin Melayu berani tampil ke depan untuk mempertahankan universiti ini.)

Commenting on this, MIBA president P Sivakumar said: “As a well-known educationist, Sahol should be more responsible.”

He added that denying poor Chinese and Indian students an opportunity to progress was unbelievable, especially now because of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s policy to create a high income society.

“As a vice-chancellor, Sahol should focus on the progress of the university and not behave like a politician,” he said, reminding the academic that his salary also comes from the tax money of non-bumiputeras.

Sivakumar also said that discrimination was a sin in any religion and no student should be denied education opportunities based on race.

‘Let’s have an open debate’
Meanwhile, National Indian Advancement Team (NIAT) chairman Thasleem Mohd Ibrahim challenged Sahol to an open debate on the matter.

Speaking to FMT, he also said that the vice-chancellor’s remarks were un-Islamic.

“As a Muslim, he cannot insult the other races,” he said. “We know that UiTM is for Malay and Bumiputera students, but is it wrong to open the university to others?”