ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND THE ISSUE OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION IN MALAYSIA

Abstract: Whatever people perceptions, views and opinions have towards the issue of academic freedom, this is a very important issue which deserve serious attention by everyone. The issue of academic freedom has become a hot topic of discussion in many countries including Malaysia. This issue also has been highlighted in many developed countries including in the United States of America. In early 2025, the US President, Donald J. Trump has targeted few universities in the US just because these few universities did not share the same ideology, thought or thinking with him. The issue of academic freedom also received attention in Malaysia for the last many years. It is very important for us to understand the important of academic freedom. Why academic freedom is so important? Academic freedom is very important to ensure the country able to produce students with high qualities in order to bring constructive changes to the society and to the nation. Academic freedom is also important for the academicians. All countries need high quality academicians which can provide ideas for the nation building and development. It is very difficult for both students and academicians to contribute anything to the society or to the country without having academic freedom. In general, academic freedom means that both students and academicians can engage in intellectual debate or discussion without fear of censorship or retaliation. Academic freedom establishes a faculty member’s right to remain true to his or her pedagogical philosophy and intellectual commitments. It preserves the intellectual integrity of our educational system and thus serves the public good. Academic freedom gives both students and academicians the right to express their views in speech, writing, and through electronic communication, both on and off campus without fear of sanction and prosecution from the authorities, unless the manner of expression substantially impairs the rights of others or the views demonstrate that they are professionally ignorant, incompetent, or dishonest with regard to their discipline or fields of expertise. Academic freedom also gives both students and academicians the right to study and do research on the topics they choose and to draw what conclusions they find consistent with their research, though it does not prevent others from judging whether their work is valuable and their conclusions sound. Thus, it is very crucial for us to cherish, respect and protect academic freedom at all times. Academic freedom should not be seen as a threat or enemy by anyone. When we discuss the issue over academic freedom, we cannot ignore the basic human right over freedom of speech and expression. These two types of freedoms are interrelated to each other. Thus, it is the object of this paper to examine and analyse these two types of freedoms. Recommendations will also be provided so that academic freedom could be guaranteed and protected.