Friday, October 18, 2019

There are graduates and there are graduates

Malaysiakini:

University student probed for protest while paedophile gets second chance


Wong Kan Ye 

by ZAN AZLEE


Scenario 1:
Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin, a 23-year-old Malaysian MARA scholarship student who was studying in Imperial College, United Kingdom, was caught with more than 30,000 photographs and videos of child pornography.

He was then sentenced to 5 years in prison. Aside from the possession of these materials, the British authorities also said he had intent to distribute it.

After serving a reduced sentence from 18 months to nine in a British prison, Nur Fitri was extradited back to Malaysia.

Now, it is reported that he is studying for his PhD in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. What did the authorities and government say?

That he deserves a second chance because he is smart, will have a bright future plus he served his sentence and should be allowed to study.


Scenario 2:

Wong Kan Ye, a 23-year-old Malaysian student who studied civil engineering at University Malaya, had held up a yellow sign during his convocation that stated ‘Tolak Rasis’ and ‘Undur VC’ (Reject racism and VC withdraw your statements).

This was in valid protest against UM Vice-Chancelor Datuk Abdul Rahim Hashim (and the univeristy) for failing to promote racial tolerance and unity by being a part the Malay Dignity Congress.

The university made a police report to investigate Wong Kan Ye for tarnishing the university’s image and disrupting convocation protocols.

He was interrogated by the police for one hour and now, the university has not presented Wong with his graduation scroll.

The university proceeded to also bar another student, Edan Kon, from his convocation the next day.

Who actually has a brighter future and should be given a second chance?

A convicted paedophile sex offender or a university graduate who has not even committed a crime?

What’s the deal here Malaysia? It seems that the priorities we have are a little bit skewed and perverted.

We are okay for a sex offender to repent after being convicted with a serious crime (the government does not even have him registered as a sex offender), but we are not okay for a university student to practice his freedom of speech by protesting non-violently against racism.

And we’re supposed to be a country of democracy.

Our Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, when asked to comment about Wong’s protest stated that the UM convocation was the wrong place for him to protest because it could have led to chaos.


This is very disappointing because, as far as I can recall, Dr. Mahathir (above) was part of a much bigger protest a few years back that really disrupted and caused ‘chaos’ on a weekend (it was Bersih, in case you don’t remember).

Of all people, the Prime Minister should know that protests and demonstrations are suppossed to be disruptive and cause chaos.

The objective for that is so that people will pay attention and take heed when all other methods fail.

Would the matter regarding racism receive as much attention if Wong had not chosen to do what he did? Of course not.

Education Minister Maszlee Malik needs to say something about this too.

I know his ideals and he has always been an encouraging party when it comes to the youth and students being the voice of dissent.

He allowed student protestors to demonstrate in front of his ministry’s lobby a few months back. He has also met with student protestors for dialogues before.

Today, we have a government that that consists of so many people who were the voice of dissent.

I have seen with my own eyes (and documented by my camera) of current Cabinet members who use to yell into loud hailers calling for disruptive protests and demonstrations.

They have also been sprayed with water jets, shot at with tear gas and, of course, arrested.

So they cannot say to the public now that protests and demonstrations can only happen at the right time and at the right place.

That would be very hypocritical of them to do so. Weigh in the severity of what Wong did.

Nothing detrimental (much less violent) came out of what he did that affected the public in any negative way.

The only thing that did come out of it was that the vice-chancelor and the university were butt-hurt and had their feelings (ie: ego) damaged with what he did.

But anyway, it’s like what Malaysians like to say, “Siapa makan cili, dia yang rasa pedas!”.

Am I right, or am I right?

*********

ZAN AZLEE is a writer, documentary film-maker, journalist and academic. He had waited so long for a change in the system and he is not willing to settle for a half-past-six change. Visit fatbidin.com to view his work

12 comments:

  1. Screw up after screw up by Maszlee, like khat issue, Nie Ching to the rescue as usual....

    QUOTE
    Deputy education minister says in process of resolving UM-graduate
    conflict

    Friday, 18 Oct 2019

    BY DEBRA CHONG

    KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 — The Education Ministry has stepped to mediate a conflict between Universiti Malaya (UM) and graduate Wong Yan Ke who was denied his civil engineering degree after his protest stunt during the convocation ceremony earlier this week.

    Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching told reporters both parties must engage to reach an amicable resolution, The Star reported today.

    “We are in the process of doing that,” she was quoted saying after launching the “Back-to-School” programme at SK Klang Gate.

    Teo was also reported saying that she personally felt it was wrong of the university to refuse Wong the scroll for his bachelor’s degree when he went to collect it on October 16.
    UNQUOTE

    ReplyDelete
  2. The right to protest peacefully in a public place is well accepted in many countries.
    However, an university conferring of degrees is a solemn occasion which should be respected. A political protest is not the right activity for that occasion, definitely not for one who was wearing the ceremonial robes.
    He did not himself respect the degree that he was to receive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a terbalik fart!

      Uni education DOESN'T mean a piece of ceremonial paper. Its noble aim is to heighten the sense of human decency while getting a professional qualification.

      Too many a graduate choose to keep quiet, either bcoz of kiasi, tak tau or don't care in the light of blazingly injustices. Thus waylaid that intrinsic 1st part by ONLY emphasizing that piece of paper.

      That's the greatest dishonour bestows upon the education as "indicted" by that degree one receives.

      It's the same kind of twisted thinking used by those tongkat addicts to interpret their oft-quoted biadab-ness!

      Delete
  3. It is a graduation ceremony. Solemn, dignified and distinguished. It should be free from politics. What more to hijack it for political mileage or to grasp the opportunity to become a political party hero.

    ReplyDelete
  4. He must be a product of Chinese schooling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What so "solemn, dignified and distinguished" when it's been chaired by a bigoted fart?

      Liken to Hitler honoring the Night of the Long Knives!

      Know yr history?

      Both of u MUST be byproducts of ketuanan schooling.

      Always thinking along distorted noble concepts impaled by the definitive 3rd level mentality.

      Delete
  5. Toonsie said a convocation is not the right place to protest, must behave......but he sees no problem standing on stage in front of the whole world, criticising Israel and India at the UN General Assembly.....and made a lot of people cringe and upset.....and Malaysians embarrassed. “I have the right to Free speech” he said, but what about the graduate Wong?

    ReplyDelete
  6. He is a VC which is of respectable status in the society, a leader in the education profession, should have high inteligence, righteous moral, yet spilled out such foul racist and supremacist nonsense that belied the position and responsibility that demand of his position, he is in the wrong place, he desecrate the Solemn, Dignified and Distinguished position of a VC.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Some more he used my money (tax payers money) to organise the "dirty congress" #@!*€¥"

    ReplyDelete
  8. The way I see it. The paedophile got jailed and then got a 2nd chance. So this chinausea guy should be jailed too before his 2nd chance. Problem solved! Damn Im good. Lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Another moron!

      That paedophile committed an atrocious crime that no righteousness court of law should judge lightly!

      What 'crime' have that MU graduate committed that deserves the same judgement?

      2nd chance for tongkat addicts, ALWAYS, regardless of the horrendous intensity to decent human sense!

      Delete
  9. The relevant ministers Muhyiddin (Home), Maszlee (Education) and Syed Saddiq (Youth and Sports and part-time busybody Religion and Human Resources ha ha ha remember Zakar Naik and GoJerk) all three totally silent on this issue. And all three from Bersatu.

    As usual it is left to DAP, the opposition within the government, to speak up against the VC’s racist speech at the Malay Dignity Congress and UM’s action against the protesting graduate. Deputy minister Nie Ching is trying to mediate, like she did with Dong Zhong, when Maszlee screwed up over the khat issue.

    The graduate was just expressing Free Speech at the convocation, following the example of Toonsie making racist remarks against “hook-nosed” Israel/Jews and chastising India over Kashmir at the recent UN General Assembly, also a formal event, in front of leaders from the whole world.

    ReplyDelete