Restore Malay dignity with excellence in graduates, says Kadir

The Malay Dignity Congress was organised by four universities and held in Shah Alam last week.

PETALING JAYA: Four public universities who “lent their names” to the Malay Dignity Congress held earlier this month were challenged today to restore dignity to Malay students by ensuring they monopolise the dean’s list and graduate with the highest marks.

“If not, stop arguing about dignity,” said former NSTP editor A Kadir Jasin in an article at Sinar Harian today, under the heading “Honor is in the heart”.

Kadir, who is also the prime minister’s special adviser on media and communications, said his challenge is to the four public universities which took part in the Malay Dignity Congress in Shah Alam on Oct 6. He had no advice for political people and business experts involved in the congress.

Kadir further said he was recently invited to speak to a group of more than 30 people from Malaysia and abroad who are drafting a law on free speech.

“Other than a Malay lawyer, who was also the coordinator, I did not see any other Malay,” he said.

Kadir added that on Sept 23, in a statement at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, he had told students that large numbers of Malays do not guarantee continuity if they continued to be passive and become brave only when they are in their own groups.

The congress organiser and director, Hashim Ismail, has said the meeting was held in a collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Mara, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, and the Muslim Lawyers Association.

He said Universiti Malaya vice chancellor Abdul Rahim Hashim had “called us and told us there were academic issues to push forward. So we did what was appropriate,” Hashim told FMT.

He said the congress was to discuss problems faced by the Malays especially in education, religion, culture, politics and the economy. He denied that the congress had been held in view of the alliance between Umno and PAS.

Hashim added based on discussions held with the management, the programme was to target graduates and academicians to get involved.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad gave a speech at the Congress. It was also attended by other leaders from PH, Umno and PAS. - FMT