EDUCATION is such an important element of our society that we rank it as a human right, equal to that of access to clean water.

Unesco clearly outlines this on its website, stating that education is a basic human right that works to raise men and women out of poverty, level inequalities, and ensure sustainable development.

Yet, in good old Bolehland, we can’t even decide whether to teach mathematics and science in English or the national language of Malay.

This constant hiccup aside, we deem educators as standard-bearers of not only the enablers of the nation’s ideals and aspirations but also as gatekeepers of values and ethics.

So, it is a rather shocking revelation that the Auditor General’s Report on Government-Linked Companies 2024 found that the National Professors Council, the government-funded body comprising professors from Malaysian public universities, has been found to have misused its funding, benefiting two companies linked to two trustees who have a stake in each.

Without getting into further detail – Google it – this confirms the unspoken suspicion among academics in the country that the council has always been a tool of the ruling hegemony despite calls by various higher education NGOs for its dissolution or at least greater scrutiny of its purpose, since it receives a rather big slice of the budget under the Higher Education Ministry.

Here are three reasons why the findings of the Auditor General’s Report are shocking:

Breach of public trust

The relationship between student and teacher/sifu/guru is different from any other social relationship. The amount of trust bestowed on a teacher/sifu/guru is qualitative, not quantitative.

University professors are deemed the wise bearers of knowledge and often placed on a pedestal.

They can do no wrong in society’s eyes, and every word that drips from their wise lips is awaited with bated breath.

In our modern neoliberal society, professors have also assumed the roles of village elders regardless of age. Anyone with “professor” in their title is respected and esteemed.

So, revelations of misuse of public funds are serious and tarnish the reputation of not only those who are linked to it but also the greater polity of professors in the country, at least in public universities.

Greater chasm between private and public universities

I spoke to a friend who works in a public university recently. He said that the requirements to apply for a professor post in a public university are not only stringent but also highly competitive.

This is where disillusionment – often unspoken in public but quite common among academic circles – is seen as justified. It seems the title of “professor” in a public university is not only about one’s achievement but also about a university or even a faculty’s politics and how one butters up the right leader.

Let’s put it this way: like all job promotions, office politics plays a big but unspoken role.

In a public institution, such a thing should not be perceived as the norm because public funds from taxpayers are at stake. Being Malaysians , we know the reputation of “public services”.

However, in private institutions, the metrics which govern and determine such posts and promotions are vastly different, and the funds, which eventually pay for such posts are sourced from a private university’s income rather than the public.

The reputations of public institutions are at an all-time low.

Corruption is the norm

Sadly, this is the bitter truth in Malaysia. The esteemed members of the councils of public institutions are mostly Malay-Muslims who, in this country, are often presented as pious and ethical.

These findings also tarnish the reputation of the majority populace entrusted with the wellbeing of the nation.

As both a Malay-Muslim and a Malaysian, I am ashamed if it is indeed true that those involved in such corrupt practices are my ethnic, religious, and national brethren.

It’s left me feeling like such a sucker. – July 3, 2024.
 

* Azmyl Yunor is a touring underground recording artiste, and an academic in media and cultural studies. He has published articles on pop culture, subcultures and Malaysian cultural politics. He adheres to the three-chords-and-the-truth school of songwriting, and Woody Guthrie’s maxim “All you can write is what you see”. He is @azmyl on Twitter.