COMMENT Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin, in his speech announcing the establishment of the National Council of Professors, reminded Malaysian professors to not only be “super gurus” in focusing on their respective careers but to contribute their expertise and participate in national life as well.  

The recently established professors’ council, comprising over 1,500 professors in the public universities, did indeed weigh in on a national debate not too long ago, namely, ‘Was Mat Indera a communist or a patriot?’  

Academicians such as professors and emeritus professors Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, Ramlah Adam, Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, Khoo Kay Kim and their ilk enjoy the academic rights and freedom of expression through their comments appearing regularly in the mass media.

Having themselves taken advantage of these rights - in my view, correctly so, and one further assumes they would want to continue to enjoy such freedom - their silence therefore on the action taken by Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) against its don, Prof Abdul Aziz Bari, is somewhat of an anomaly...