‘Public varsities must not be answerable to politicians’
Policewoman remanded over RM2,000 bribe
PETALING JAYA: Academicians are answerable to their field of knowledge and not to politicians, says Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Association of Academic and Administrative Staff.
Therefore, it called for more autonomy for public universities to self-manage and review remuneration packages for academicians and certain laws related to institutions of higher learning.
“The association would like to stress that there should be little or no political interference in our professional day-to-day operations,” its president Assoc Prof Dr P. Sundramoorthy said in a statement yesterday.
“Academicians are naturally accountable to the requirements of their disciplines and the needs of their institutions.
“In public institutions of higher education, the academics should manage academia and not be instructed by politicians.
“We should elect our top management especially for the post of vice-chancellor, deputy vice-chancellors and registrar,” he added.
Sundramoorthy said the appointment of top management should come from the respective universities and not from the Education Minister.
“These important positions should be determined by search committees established in each university ... that will submit two finalists as suggested to its board of governors,” he said.
Similarly, he said, the chairman of the board of governors should be a retired prominent academician rather than a retired senior government officer or political appointee.
The association also urged the Government to review specific laws related to institutions of higher learning, such as the Official Secrets Act and University and University Colleges Act 1971, which Sundramoorthy said “only hinder intellectual development and growth among academicians and students alike”. KLANG: A policewoman was remanded five days to help with an investigations into a case of soliciting a RM2,000 bribe four days ago.
Magistrate Nik Nur Amalina Mat Zaidan allowed Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission’s (MACC) application to remand the 28-yearold traffic police inspector and con- duct investigations under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.
The suspect, who is attached with the traffic enforcement and investigation division at the South Klang District Police headquarters, was detained by the MACC at 4.05pm on Wednesday.
A source said she was arrested following a report by a 35-year-old man who claimed the policewoman had sought a bribe from him as an inducement not to impound his sports utility vehicle that had an expired road tax.
The man claimed the policewoman asked for the money from him at 11.45pm on Monday.
He then lodged the report with the MACC. — Bernama