University Malaya..... For Sale?

Guocoland (M) Berhad offered to buy the land that housed University Malaya in KL for the purposes of development worth RM10 Billion and to relocate it to Sepang is definitely out of mind. As Ungku Aziz, the Royal Professor and former Chancellor of UM says in Utusan, that such acts are "gila dan kurang ajar" meaning a crazy act and rude. He further remarked that the University is a national heritage that ought to be preserved and protected.

The University grew out of tradition of service to society. Its predecessors, the King Edward VII College of Medicine established in 1905 and Raffles College in 1929 had been established to meet urgent demands one in medicine and the other is education. When the two come together to form University Malaya in October 1949, this was so that they might perform together an ever greater service, to help lay the foundation of a new nation by producing a generation of skilled and educated men. Hence, the University Malaya was established on 8th October 1949 as a national institution to serve the higher education needs of the Federated Malay States and Singapore.

The growth of the University was very rapid during the first decade of its establishment and resulted in the setting up of two autonomous Divisions in 1959, one located in Singapore (later became the National University of Singapore) and the other in Kuala Lumpur, retaining the name University of Malaya. In 1960, the government of the two territories indicaated their desire to change the status of the division into that of a national university wherein legislation was passed in 1961 founding the University of Malaya on 1st January 1962 via the University Malaya Act.

In all these years the University has established itself as a pioneer to many local graduates all over the country and beyond. As such taking away that right would seem to be an act of defiance and should not be tolerate at all. I may go further to say that acts such as this, is unnecessary coupled with greed.

Education must be prioritised and protected. The government must be seen serious in protecting not only national heritage but to be seen serious to cause a first class institution and mentality of higher learning that Malaysian of all walks of life can be proud of. Seeing statistics dropping drastically in Malaysia top university is sad but to see the Malaysian Government denying is another. The government should not just deny but indeed the reality can be a little frustrating, but that is the truth.

The government must be serious in showing to the world at large that we too can compete in the international arena. Funding in research and development has never been satisfying. Areas in medical science, biotechnology and information technology are so necessary requiring funds and aids. The future of Malaysia are depended upon this new generation of young minds. It is in this University, that intellectual minds are developed and new ideas are formed for the good of this country. As such this has to be protected at all times.

Maybe the government must remember the dream of the Prime Minister 2057 which he exclaimed, "Our students and professors will dominate Ivy League universities and our own universities will be citadels of excellence for international scholars." Will this continue to be a dream, let Malaysian speak.