KUALA LUMPUR: A lawmaker has urged both Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) and its vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Massila Kamalrudin to apologise for her speech, which was criticised for allegedly offering inappropriate advice to students.
Kota Melaka member of parliament Khoo Poay Tiong said he was left surprised and confused after reading UTeM's
statement defending Massila over the remarks she made at a
university gathering.
He said she should apologised for her remarks as a sincere admission of her mistake.
He also said UTeM should apologise for defending Massila's remarks.
"I urge Masilla to apologise for her remarks as a sincere admission of her mistake. I believe as a human being nobody escapes from making mistakes, thus an apology will be sufficient to end the conflict.
"An apology does not necessarily mean all of her contributions to the university and the country
will be forgotten. Instead, it will present a credible leadership from her and become an
example to many youths that an admission of a mistake is not a sign of weakness, but
instead signalling her courage as a leader.
"At the same time, UTEM should also issue an apology for defending Massila's remarks," he said in a statement today, in response to media report on the matter.
Khoo said as a respected higher education institute, it should have taken a moral high ground by acknowledging the mistake. The varsity should have addressed the public with a promise that it will not repeat such a thing.
It was reported that UTeM had defended its vice-chancellor, saying that her speech, which was criticised for allegedly offering inappropriate advice to students, was taken out of context.
In a statement released on Saturday, UTeM said the news report linking negative remarks to the vice-chancellor was entirely false.
It further said that footage of the vice-chancellor's speech had been edited and did not accurately reflect her true message.
Massila was reported to have advised students to keep their romantic relationships with academic staff private and away from campus.
Elaborating, Khoo said he found Masilla's remarks troubling as it was against the professionalism ethics in a public university.
He said UTeM's decision to defend Masilla was even more surprising by stating the remarks were taken out of context.
UTeM, he noted, as a respected university in the country should have asked its staff to apologise and admit the mistake she made as it would have been easier for the public to accept rather than trying to prolong the issue by 'explaining" the remarks.
"Defending Massila's remarks, indirectly indicates that the university was not serious in maintaining professionalism at a higher education institution and can tarnish the university's image even more.
"The lack of seriousness may discourage students from enrolling at the university, as professionalism is not being prioritised by the university management," he added.