KUALA LUMPUR – Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir has instructed that all programmes and activities at Universiti Malaya (UM) scheduled to be attended by a foreign lecturer believed to be pro-Zionist be cancelled immediately.
The Higher Education Ministry (MoHE) takes the lecturer’s actions seriously, as they have sparked controversy and disrespected community sentiments.
The university has also been asked to investigate the matter and report further details as soon as possible.
“I would like to remind every agency and institution under MoHE to be alert and conduct thorough background checks before inviting anyone to events or programmes.
“Every decision made must take into account sensitivities and align with the government’s policies and stance,” he said in a statement today.
Zambry said that although higher education institutions are given autonomy to decide on intellectual programmes, it does not mean they have the complete freedom to disregard the sensitivity of Malaysia’s majority.
“If someone’s scholarship is clouded with various controversies and questionable academic values, why should they be brought in as a scholarly visitor? There needs to be a fair assessment before making a decision,” he said in a post on X today.
In an X post earlier, Portland State University Prof Bruce Gilley said he has left Malaysia. This comes after the controversy over his social media posts criticising Malaysia’s stance on Israel.
Gilley also stated concerns for his safety as a reason for leaving the country.
“I have safely departed from Malaysia, one step ahead of the Islamo-fascist mob whipped up by the government there.
“This is not a safe country to travel to now,” he said.
Late last night, Gilley posted on X that he had removed the posts in question. However, he noted that those were his own personal views.
“I have removed the post below for the safety and well-being of my colleagues at the University of Malaya, whose leadership has responded to a student outcry.
“The quote from my keynote address reflects my views alone. I regret the harm I have caused to my academic colleagues,” he said.
It was reported that UM has cancelled an event scheduled for today that would have featured Gilley after his social media posts.
The event, themed Reassessing Republican China by UM’s Institute of China Studies, was to be held at 10am today with Gilley, an author of several books on China, as the main speaker.
“The event is cancelled,” a spokesman from UM told Scoop when asked if the forum was still on after Gilley’s posts started getting attention on X.
In his posts, Gilley, who is a professor of political science, according to the university’s website, posted a photo of himself giving a speech while standing at a podium that clearly bore UM’s name and crest.
“A country whose political leaders advocate a second Holocaust against the Jewish people will never be a serious player in world affairs and will certainly never be a friend or partner of the United States,” he posted.
In another tweet in the same thread, Gilley said, “This is a long-standing vice of Malaysian politicians going back to Mahathir’s advice to learn from the Germans on how to kill Jews. Today, TV news hosts end daily broadcasts with ‘From the River to the Sea’ and ‘Israel cuak’ (Israel is frightened)”. – April 25, 2024