Where do we stand?

Welcome back Monash... away for 4 months has made me fat... and yeap... Bunny was absent cause of the semester break and now is back for more fun.

"Section 15 of Malaysia's Universities and University Colleges Act states that no student shall be a member of or in any manner associate with any society, political party, trade union or any other organisation, body or group of people whatsoever, be it in or outside Malaysia, unless it is approved in advance and in writing by the vice-chancellor.

Nor can any student express or do anything that may be construed as expressing support, sympathy or opposition to any political party or union. Breaking this law can lead to a fine, a jail term or both." a quote from an Aus online paper.

Written by Michael Backman 21/11/2007 @ theage.com.au

Now being Australian University do we follow the long tradition of the university or do we follow the laws that govern this country? Does following the laws now makes us all not that different from our local public university? Probably with a western name is the only difference we will be able to notice in the future...

Written by Evilbunny 26/2/08

More Harassment Towards Bloggers?

Student Blogger in Trouble

KLANG: A young blogger caused a storm in her school after she wrote that some fellow students had exchanged notes during a recent examination.

The Form Four girl said the copycats were unfair to others, adding that those who cheated eventually scored high marks while those who did not, got low grades.

She further claimed that the teachers who knew what was going on during the examination deliberately ignored the incident.

Her grouses prompted the school authorities to order her to remove her entry in the blog.

A schoolmate of the 16-year-old girl said she broke down and felt she had been victimised merely because she wanted justice to prevail.

The friend said the blogger had named the alleged copycat students and the teachers, and this had probably upset the school authorities.

It is learnt that the matter came to light when the named students told their parents about the blog entry.

The parents then went to the school, demanding action against the young blogger.

“The school authorities called her up for questioning and asked her to remove the entry in front of them.
“They told her what she did would damage the image of the school and the students,” said the girl’s friend.

The school’s senior assistant, Adilayah Ramli, said they did not mean to punish the young blogger or victimise her.

“We asked her to remove the entry from the blog as it was slanderous and damaging to the teachers and students who were named.
“She is a good student and she scored straight As in her PMR exam last year. We understand her frustration,” Adilayah said, adding that the postings were mere allegations.

However, she said the school was investigating the girl’s claims and would seek an explanation from those named in the blog.

“We want to know their side of the story before resorting to any action.”

Written by M. Krishnamoorthy 4/10/2007 @ The Star

Here's a typical example of how whistle blowers get harassed by authorities for using their blog to expose injustice that are happening within an organization. Instead of giving protection to the person for speaking out, they prefer to prosecute the individual first to ensure their reputation is not tarnished.

By doing so, effort is being put in to prove the allegations false instead of finding truth within the allegations. Most of the time in movies, the criminal gets remanded in jail for questioning while the informer/undercover tries to provide as much evidence as possible to prove that a crime actually takes place. But NO, instead here the informer/undercover/whistle blower is put behind bars while the criminal roam free whining and pressuring to authorities to drop the charges.

If found guilty, a cover up will be done and the perpetrator will be given a light punishment so that it won't cause a public uproar. However if there's lack of evidence due to the incompetent investigators or corruption the whistle blower is being punish severely by both the organization and the accused.

I can only wish good luck and all the best to that girl and hopefully the school authorities do justice rather than protect its reputation.

Written by Evilbunny "The best ideas comes from the worst minds" 4/10/07

Advice or Threat?

A recent mail by Monash University Malaysia highlighted about blogging by its students and a number of it claimed to be defamatory and seditious. The moment after reading the mail, I felt fear... fear of the repercussions and laws/suits that can befall onto me due to my actions. Here's a copy of that mail for everyone to enjoy:

Dear Students,

It has come to my attention that there have been a number of blogs by students that are defamatory in nature, causing hurt to the persons named, and put the students who author the blogs at risk in a number of ways. I suspect that this has arisen because students are not aware of the laws of Malaysia relevant to such situations, nor of the University policies that pertain.

Please note that while free speech is welcome, there are limitations provided by the law particularly regarding defamation and sedition. It would appear that some students are not aware of this, and have perhaps inadvertently contravened the law.

In light of this, the University wishes to provide relevant information to students regarding the legal and institutional context that applies.

Please find attached a document prepared by the campus solicitor, for your information, and action as necessary.

Prof. Merilyn Liddell Pro Vice-Chancellor and President (Malaysia)

NOTICE TO STUDENTS RE: BLOGGING

It has recently come to the attention of the University that there have been several blogs written by students on the internet which were derogatory in nature and made against the University and its lecturers ("the Blogs").

As such, we wish to bring to awareness that there are laws in Malaysia and disciplinary policies at Monash University relating to such matters. The words used in the Blogs could be construed as defamatory or seditious words and constitute offences under the said laws and policies, thereby placing the blogger ("the Offender") in danger of attracting legal action and/or disciplinary action against him/her.

Definitions

Words are "defamatory" in nature if the words "tend to lower a person in the estimation of right-thinking members of society generally" (per the Defamation Act 1957) or if the words "makes or publishes any imputation concerning any person, intending to harm, or knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of such person" (per the Penal Code (Revised 1997)).

Words are considered "seditious" if they have a tendency to bring into hatred or contempt, excite, raise discontent or disaffection, promote feelings of ill-will and hostility against another person or party (per the Sedition Act 1948).

Consequences/Dangers for using defamatory or seditious words in blogs

There are numerous legal and/or disciplinary actions which may be taken against the Offender:- (i) a civil action for defamation may be initiated in court by the University and/or the offended lecturer against the Offender;

(ii) a criminal action for sedition may be commenced in court by the Authorities against the Offender;

(iii) the University may take disciplinary action against the Offender for committing a misconduct under the Students Disciplinary Policy;

(iv) the University may take disciplinary action against the Offender for committing an offence under the Acceptable Use of Information Technology Facilities By Students Policy.

Advice to Students

In view of the above and in view of the very public nature of the blogs, the University advises all students as follows:-

(i) to exercise caution when blogging or making any other postings on the internet so as to avoid writing anything which may be defamatory or seditious in their blogs or postings;

(ii) to immediately remove any blogs (together with its entire blog trail) or postings which could be defamatory or seditious in nature;

(iii) to lodge any grievances or complaints through the proper channels made available at the University, such as through:-

(a) the University's Counselling Services;

(b) MUSA Education Affairs Committee;

(c) the University's Student Services Department;

(d) the Course Managers of the respective Schools.

The University also encourages students to at all times maintain and uphold (and not tarnish nor prejudice) the good name and reputation of Monash University as being a premier international university as a good name and reputation serves to benefit not just the University but also the students. Please be so advised. Thank you.

I wonder, is this more of an advice or a threat to intimidate students? In the mail it is stated that actions can be taken under Defamation Act 1957 and Sedition Act 1948, the law that is deemed by many to be unconstitutional and that undermines human rights http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_10_of_the_Constitution_of_Malaysia . For those that have no idea what that law is all about, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition_Act_(Malaysia) will give you a brief idea.

Is the reputation of the university more important compared to the well being of its students? Or even to have a good reputation by covering everything inside the carpet? You judge yourself.

A review will be done for all articles in this blog and if it is deemed defamatory and seditious by legal advisory parties, it will be removed and an appology will be issued two weeks from now. Parties that feel that they are unjustly being defamed can contact me by leaving a message in the comment section of this article. Sorry if I had accidentally offended anyone in my articles, no harm was intended.

For those that feels scared of actions taken against them or even feels that they are unjustly silented can contact the following organizations for advice:

National Alliance of Bloggers, Malaysia
ALIRAN @ http://www.aliran.com/
Amnesty International Malaysia @ http://www.aimalaysia.org/
International Press Institute @ http://www.freemedia.at/cms/ipi/
Malaysiakini @ http://www.malaysiakini.com/
Network for Education and Academic Rights @ http://www.nearinternational.org/
SUARAM @ http://www.suaram.net/
The Chronicle for Higher Education @ http://chronicle.com/
SUHAKAM @ http://www.suhakam.org.my/

Written by Evilbunny "The best ideas comes from the worst minds" 2/10/07

Prof.Merilyn Joyce Liddell, PVC of Monash University Malaysia is leaving

4 years! That is how long Prof.Merilyn Joyce Liddell and I had been in Monash University Malaysia. While she is leaving to enjoy life back in her home country Australia, I have to stay behind and struggle 1 more semester next year thanks to some evil lecturer that failed me =.=" not fair!

Although I didn't get the chance to know her personally, her effort and initiatives to listen to students during events like PVC-Student dialogue and well as PVC Day With Students really shows how much she cares. Sorry for all the question bombardments during the dialogue, hopefully no hard feeling had been taken. We are after all working towards a better university.

During her farewell speech, she told her fellow colleagues to take problems (including my critics... hehehe) not as a threat but as a challenge and by saying this she earned my respect. If only the other PVCs of our local public university are half of what she is, we can all rejoice.

After her farewell dinner speech on the roof top of our university, the people there (professors, lecturers and admin staff + 1 lost female student) started dancing when the music is played. I guess someone spiked their drinks with ecstasy pills XD

Written by Evilbunny "The best ideas comes from the worst minds" 27/9/07

Here's a video of it: NJOY ^^

Failing Malaysian Varsities

In the last years of his tenure as prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad must have realised that there is such a thing as too much nationalism. Without nationwide consultation, without any penetrating studies by experts, and certainly without seeking opinions from parents, teachers, and students, his government decreed overnight that Math and Science must be taught in English.

Not a note of protest was heard from the Malay teachers association, and other usually irascible Malay nationalist bodies.

The move was an open admission that the exclusive emphasis on Bahasa Malaysia in schools and universities has failed to produce globally competitive human resources. Dr M may have been a giant figure in the short history of Malaysia, and has been instrumental in shaping the political landscape of our country. But his brand of Malay nationalism in the matter of the national language has victimised many generations of young Malaysians in developing their potentials in more ways than one.

The first casualty of this language policy has been the academic standard of our local universities. In the 80s, I used to be invited to student forums in local universities, in my capacity as an opposition MP. Representatives from other political parties were also invited, bit it seemed these talks generally degenerated into a BN bashing session by students of all races.

After one such session, the moderator of the talk who happened to be the dean of one faculty told me aside on the quiet that the performance of his students had declined over the years, partly because they were illiterate in English and could not read international journals and reference books. (He also told me that he and other university lecturers were compelled to mark the students on a curve, so that those Malay students who failed will be given a pass mark anyway! But that is an open secret.)

Publish or Perish

Those who are acquainted with the unwritten rules of the academia know that academic standard is subject to international scrutiny. An academician has to publish or perish. It is very difficult for a professor to obtain the security of tenure if his original composition or research findings are not published in prestigious international journals. Better still, he can publish an authoritative book, which soon becomes a best seller and a university text book everywhere.

The idea is that one of the essential roles of the university is the production of new knowledge through research. The findings of research must then be published to allow the world academic community to test and evaluate the research results. Only when it is so verified can the new theory or findings be accepted as orthodox truth.

Naturally, students - especially those in senior years and in graduate programmes (or “post-graduate” programmes, as they are called in British universities) – must refer to an enormous amount of journals, reference books, and related research materials, in order to master their area of specialisation.

Invariably, their thesis must contain a great number of quotations from authoritative sources, footnotes, and a lengthy bibliography. In conclusion, the thesis writer is supposed to come to his own theory or perspective, by engaging himself in a debate with all the authorities, and synthesising all contentious stands into a harmonious view entirely his own.

Then, the graduate is qualified to pursue an academic career, as a professor, an assistant professor, or a humble lecturer. This is that original signification of the term “professor”, as one who professes his own theory through some kind of publication. His academic worth is often determined by how often he is quoted by other books and publication. The standing of a university is also determined partly by how many such professors they have on their faculty.

Though I do not have the figures, I suspect that most academic and professional journals in the world are published in English. If our universities are such that English literacy is lacking, we will be producing graduates who are intellectually like frogs under the coconut shell, no matter how fluent they are in the national language.

Perhaps the problem lies with the philosophy of education determined by the government in the first place.

Academic Freedom

The idea of the Western university evolved very much after the model of Plato’s Academy. Plato’s model was shaped very much by his philosophy of searching for truth and knowledge as its own end, and not as a means to an end. It was meant to be a community of scholars living in close proximity, a refuge free from the power play of the outside world.

Plato’s Academy continued in Europe even after the fall of Athens at the hands of Alexander the Great from Macedonia and the rise of the Roman Empire later. The last Academy was finally closed down by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in AD 529 because of religious bigotry on his part.

That is why an institution of higher learning has to enjoy academic freedom, because without the freedom of thought and speech, there can never be truth with a capital “T”.

Thirty years ago, I did study philosophy in a small university, the University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Unlike Malaysia, the Winnipeg university came under the purview, and was funded by the provincial government of Manitoba. The unranked university was administered by a University Senate made up almost entirely of faculty members, and 12 student representatives. I served as a student senator for a couple of years, sitting on several committees like the one in charge of admission of foreign students.

Many of those liberal arts colleges and universities in the West are run on the assumption that the most important people in a higher institution of learning are the teachers and the students, and they should be given a big say in all things in the administration of the campus.

One year, the provincial government of Manitoba proposed a raise in tuition fees. The student union organised a demonstration, marching down from the campus to the state legislature downtown peacefully in protest, with professors marching with them in support. The proposal was withdrawn. If such a march happens in Malaysia, the police, the FRU, and the water cannons will arrive in full force to quash the “riot”!

The comparison may not be all that fair. As an important institution, like all other political, social and economic institutions, the university takes even centuries to mature. We are but a young nation on the world stage.

I can actually understand how, during the early uncertain years of independence, the university was seen as a powerful political tool for nation building. Much stock was placed on the university as a symbol of independence. Since education tends to be the quickest way towards social upward mobility, the eradication of poverty and the lifting of the socio-economic position of the Malays and other native communities must indeed depend on a tilted policy on university education.

Nearly half a century of experiment with our own tertiary education later, in the context of a rapidly changing world, the glaring negative impacts of our university education are legion.

Send Them Overseas

Naturally, in all universities, you get the small percentage of the cream of the crop who would do well anywhere in the world. The bulk of the university student population though are just glorified super secondary scholars in terms of their intellectual achievement.

(I had the chance to interview some graduates who were certified to teach English as a second language. Upon my request, they could not name even one prominent writer of English literature!)

What ails our universities is more than evident when it comes to the employability of their products. Tens of thousands of fresh graduates cannot find a decent job after graduation. They have to be re-trained at great public expense in order for them to find their place in society. If you ask me, it is this training mentality that forms the bedrock of our philosophy of education which stunt students’ growth.

Finally, the government is making some noise about creating “apex universities”. There is some welcome talk about academic freedom, financial independence, and campus autonomy. So far, what little public discussion there is on the proposal borders on the superficial. We are indeed a Third-world nation. But the discussion is better late and superficial than never.

Blame me for being pessimistic, negative, and cynical. As long as Umno is in power, and they seem determined to do so for the next half century, no meaningful reform on our tertiary education system will arrive at our shores. There will be too much politics and too much vested interests in the way of moving our nation forward in matters of education. All this talk about making Malaysia the educational hub of the region is only marketing language to be taken with a giant block of salt.

My advice for my friends who have children contemplating university education has always been this: send them overseas!

Written by Sim Kwang YangSep 22, 07 11:45am @ Malaysiakini

University and University College Act 1971

While surfing the net I came upon the infamous University and University Act of 1971, which you guys can download from the following link:

http://www.agc.gov.my/agc/oth/Akta/Vol.%201/Act%2030.pdf

If you are lazy to read the whole thingie, just read Section 15 - Section 16 c as it concerns us as students the most.

More will be added on soon.

Written by Evilbunny "The best ideas comes from the worst minds" 22/9/07

Lucky for us, phew ^^ Go Monash!

A recent video released in the internet has shown the realities of local public universities where racism, local politics as well as anarchy is wide spread among the students as well as the staff members of the university.

Lucky for us, being in Monash these problems doesn't exist however this doesn't mean we should be complacent and ignore situations in the real world. Problems exist whether we like it or not, since Monash is an established university most of the problems have been taken into account during its founding and over the years.

It is only right if problems are being discussed in the open with everything being accounted for. The reason why most of us are paying so much is not only to get a good academic education but as well being a productive member of society and this includes solving and discussing social problems together.

Here are the two videos about the happenings in our local universities: NJOY^^

Written by Evilbunny "The best ideas comes from the worst minds" 20/9/07