Why there is no academic freedom in Malaysia

In the light of what Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's promise to give universities more autonomy, intellectual and academic freedom should be issues at the top of the list. However with the current crackdown on free speech, academic freedom is only likely to receive lip service in the near future.

If good policy is going to be scripted, corruption fought, and critical thinking and creativity developed in Malaysia's universities, a paradigm shift in academic freedom is necessary.

The academic values of autonomy, freedom of expression, and integrity have been largely ignored, at the plight of university standards in Malaysia.

Although Malaysia has globalized its education system, it is still encumbered by Malay cultural norms that are preventing evolution of higher education institutions to their best potential.

In wider society, if academic freedom doesn't exist, how can freedoms exist elsewhere within the nation?

This is the dilemma hindering the potential of the country to progress today.

The lack of academic freedom weakens the national intellect, which can be witnessed by Malaysia's relative decline among its neighbours over the last decade.

Malaysian universities may have modern infrastructure, but they are hindered from growing by the current inability of academics to speak out.