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News Legal/General News IIUM asks law lecturer to explain remarks
News Legal/General News IIUM asks law lecturer to explain remarks 
| IIUM asks law lecturer to explain remarks |
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| Friday, 21 October 2011 08:56am | |
 ©The Sun (Used by permission)by Husna Yusop PUTRAJAYA (Oct 20, 2011): International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) law lecturer Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari has been issued with a show-cause letter on Wednesday over allegedly seditious remarks he made about the Selangor Sultan. The university confirmed issuing the letter, saying the decision was made by its legal unit secretariat of the disciplinary board and staff with regard to the recent issues associated with Abdul Aziz. “The university has given Abdul Aziz a chance to explain current issues linked to him recently. At the same time, the secretariat is also gathering information on the issues. “The secretariat will evaluate whether the statements he made as an academician and a lecturer contradicted any university regulation,” IIUM public relations office said in a statement today. It was reported online that Abdul Aziz was issued with a show-cause letter and suspended from his duties pending investigations into his remarks published in a news portal on the Sultan’s decree regarding the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) inspection during a thanksgiving dinner by NGO Harapan Komuniti at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church in Petaling Jaya in Aug 3. The Sultan had issued a statement saying there were attempts to proselytise Muslims but no group would be prosecuted over the incident. Abdul Aziz was later quoted by Malaysiakini on Oct 12 as calling the Sultan’s action of intervening in the issue as uncommon or unconventional. On Wednesday, the academic was questioned by the Shah Alam district police over the matter and said he was being investigated under the Sedition Act 1948. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) was also probing the matter. When contacted, Abdul Aziz said he would leave it to his lawyer Dr Dzulkarnain Lokman to take the appropriate action on the show-cause letter. He said Dzulkarnain is studying the letter and preparing the reply to be submitted to the university before the Oct 25 deadline. Taking the incident calmly, Abdul Aziz said he is confident the university would consider his explanation, adding he believes everyone is entitled to his own opinion. “That is their (university’s) right. We have got our own rights too. We deserve the right to do anything which we feel appropriate. “This is not the first time I speak of matters within my expertise. I just made my comments, my views within my expertise and research interest,” the constitutional expert told theSun. He also clarified there was no specific mention of suspension in the letter but he was “not at liberty to enter the premises as before” as he would have to get the permission of the Dean to enter his office. “They have informed the security and all, so I would not like to create a hassle by going to the office now,” he said. Abdul Aziz also said this was perhaps the first time in many years action is taken against an academic. In a statement, the University of Malaya Academic Staff Union (PKAUM) said they objected to the recent actions being taken against Abdul Aziz by IIUM. PKAUM president Dr Azmi Sharom said it was concerned that this investigation and the action taken by IIUM were a gross violation of Abdul Aziz’s academic freedom as well as his general right to expression. “These actions taken by the government and by IIUM will instil fear in the academic community. It is an indication that there is no academic freedom in freedom it is impossible for any development in our nation’s intellectual capacity,” he said, before calling for all investigations into the academic to stop, and for his suspension to be lifted. Comments (1)
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Circular No 109/2012: Be a Part of the Bar Council Constitutional Law Committee
Oh, WOE betide whoever DARES to challenge the sultan's decree! For that heinous offence, may their citizenship be revoked and they be charged with treason. how very pathetic.