Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has called on his wing members nationwide to lodge police reports against Malaysiakini and its columnist Andrew Sia.
This came in response to the columnist’s piece the news portal published yesterday, in which Sia branded UiTM as an "apartheid academy".
Akmal demanded that Sia make a public apology for his writing and also urged Malaysiakini to take down the article from its website.
"Calling UiTM an apartheid academy was such an insolent act that calls for action.
"I strongly call for Malaysiakini to take down this article and for Sia to apologise immediately.
"Due to this insolence, Umno Youth is also mobilising its members to lodge reports against Malaysiakini and Sia," he said in a statement today.
Insult hurtful to Malays
The Merlimau assemblyperson said the apartheid was a racist policy that segregated the whites from the black people in South Africa and it had been condemned by many including Umno and the Malays.
By accusing UiTM of being an apartheid institution, he said, Sia had insulted the legacy of the bumiputera education institution and hurt the Malays.
While saying that the university was established only to help the bumiputera catch up in education and not to step on anyone, Akmal in his statement also panned vernacular education.
"Is UiTM a symbol of oppression against the other races? Of course, it is not.
"The government of Malaysia, where the majority of its people are the Malays, have not only allowed (the other races) to have their 'tanah asal' (place of origin) education through SJKC and SJKT but also supported them by providing financial allocation.
"So, who is the one that has been dividing us through education? But even then, we have accepted it because we understand the importance of preserving cultures," he said.
Akmal also called out the Malays who were not upset by Sia's accusation, saying that they had lost their identity.
Meanwhile, Wanita Umno chief Noraini Ahmad said irresponsible parties had sparked an “unnecessary polemic” as there are currently enough public and private higher education institutions for all races in Malaysia.
”The number of IPTA and IPTS in Malaysia can accommodate all races including non-bumiputera.
”Therefore, Wanita Umno calls on all Malaysians to exercise their freedom of speech responsibly, and stop touching on matters of race and religion to the point of triggering disharmony in the country,” said the former higher education minister.
Earlier, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki also criticised Sia for his opinion piece calling it a vicious slander. - Mkini
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