Academicians reply to varsity's attack
Aug 9, 07 3:49pm Malaysiakini

Academics Dr Azly Rahman and his wife, Dr Mutiara Mohamad, ticked off
University Utara Malaysia (UUM) for resorting to personal attacks
when the main issue for their sacking was their refusal to sign the
loyalty pledge.

UUM in ahard-hitting press statement last Friday claimed that the
couple owed the university RM1.25 million in compensation and
suggested that their termination was not solely based on their
refusal to sign the pledge required from all academics.

"It was a tough decision for Mutiara and I to go public on the
'private' reasons," said Azly.

UUM said Azly, who is also a malaysiakini columnist, and his wife
were granted permission by the university to further their PhD
studies in Colombia University in the United States for three years
beginning from 1997.

All expenses, including their monthly salaries, were covered by UUM
during that period.

It said the couple had also asked for extensions on four occasions to
complete their studies, and this was granted with their monthly
salaries paid and their expenses financed by the university despite
being absent from duty.

Financial hardship

"The amount the university is claiming from us will take us perhaps
five lifetimes to settle. We shall leave the complexity of the issue
to our lawyers. It is a personal matter the public is perhaps not
interested in reading about," said Azly.
However, the academic said he had to respond to the university's
accusations and spell out the reasons behind their requests for study
extensions and then for a non-paid leave upon completion of their
studies.

This included the financial hardship the couple faced when the value
of the ringgit fell sharply as a result of the 1997 Asian financial
crisis during their PhD studies.

In addition, the couple had to take care of a loved one who had a
terminal illness which resulted in death, and that one of their
children had to undergo numerous specialist's visits after suffering
from loss of hearing,

Mutiara also faced years of debilitating medical condition which
culminated in a major surgery recently.

Dismissed and punished

"The public is interested in knowing that one can actually be
dismissed and lose everything by taking a stand against the letter of
the oath of loyalty (Akujanji), although one is already confirmed in
the job and although the Akujanji was a later addition to existing
rules/circular already in place.

"Had we been given the much-needed non-paid leave, we would by now
have already gone back to serve the university," said both husband
and wife, who are now teaching in United States.

"Had we been given the explanation and guarantees that the Akujanji
will not criminalise and victimise us as academics with a voice and a
stand to make, we would have signed it.

"Better still, had the letter not existed, the universities will not
be seeing a petition sent to the prime minister and currently
circulated to major Malaysian public universities to have it removed."

The duo reiterated that they were "dismissed, punished, and stripped
off of our life-long earned retirement benefits" because of their
opposition to Akujanji.

UUM had recently sent a legal notice to Azly demanding for a public
apology and to stop writing articles that tarnish UUM.

However, the academic has refused to do so.

"We hope the public will appreciate our explanation of the private
and public dimensions of the issue," said Azly and Mutiara.

"Let us now work on removing the repressive oath of loyalty, so that
no academician will be fired for refusing to sign it nor any student
will be suspended for asking questions in a public forum and so forth."

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