Former Universiti Malaya vice-chancellor Rafiah Salim has alleged gender bias by the government towards local academicians amid the controversy of her not being re-appointed to the post.

The first woman to head a public university in the country, Rafiah’s contract was not renewed recently and she was informed on the decision merely 48 hours before the expiry of her term.

She was appointed in May 2006.

"Sometime I can get very rude - just because we are women and we don’t have that thing between the legs so we are not good," she told Malaysiakini in an one-hour interview today held at her new office at UM.