Is There No Democracy For Malaysian Students In Australia?
Malaysian students studying in Australia, especially those under government scholarship, has been strongly advised against attending an event that features opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
By Mei Mei Chu — 17 Oct 2013, 01:58 PM — Updated almost 11 years ago
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will be visiting Adelaide, Australia on 19 Oct to speak at the Festival of Ideas
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is to visit Adelaide next weekend to speak at the city's Festival of Ideas.
abc.net.auAnwar will be attending the event in Australia entitled “Dissent and Democracy: An Audience with Anwar Ibrahim” which is part of the Adelaide Festival of Ideas at Adelaide University.
themalaymailonline.com
Admission is free for the event, at which the Malaysian MP is expected to outline why he has stubbornly remained in the political arena despite many setbacks.
abc.net.auAnwar is also scheduled to deliver a Friday sermon at a mosque there on 18 October
On October 18, Anwar will also deliver a Friday sermon titled "Rise of the Muslim world, Muslim minority role in the West" at a mosque in Wandana Avenue Gilles Plain.
themalaysianinsider.com
Australian politicians are proud to host Anwar as he is seen as a leading democracy campaigner
Premier Jay Weatherill said the festival had a history of bringing prominent thinkers to Adelaide and was proud to host the leading democracy campaigner.
Image via econews.com.auPremier Jay Weatherill said South Australia would be proud to play host to a leading democracy campaigner. "The Festival of Ideas has a proud history of bringing prominent thinkers to Adelaide," he said.
abc.net.auSenator Xenophon, who was deported and banned from Malaysia earlier this year, said it was great Mr Anwar could come to Adelaide to share his experiences and insights.
ninemsn.com.au
"I think he is a beacon of hope," he said. "People see him as a Mandela-like figure in Malaysia in the sense that there's no bitterness or recriminations about the 6 1/2 years he spent in solitary confinement."
theaustralian.com.au
However, Malaysia's Public Service Department (JPA) is not. Malaysian Students Department has warned Malaysian students in Australia against attending Anwar's talk
Malaysian students on government scholarships in Australia have been warned not to attend a programme this weekend in which opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be part of one of its sessions.
themalaysianinsider.com
The Malaysian student advisor sent an email to JPA scholarship students with a warning that "stern action" will be acted upon those who attend the event (click for full view)
The warning was issued by student advisor for the Malaysian Students Department, Shahrezan Md Sheriff, in an email to specifically addressed to students sponsored by the Public Service Department, or JPA.
themalaysianinsider.com
There is also a Facebook post on the Malaysian Students in Australia page advising students to refrain from joining the activity (click for full view)
In response, Anwar says the Public Service Department have "small minds operating under the orchestration of UMNO"
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has condemned the Public Services Department (PSD) for having a “siege mentality” and warning its scholarship students in Australia against attending an event where he is scheduled to speak.
themalaymailonline.com
In response, Anwar says the Public Service Department have "small minds operating under the orchestration of UMNO"
Image via abc.net.auAnwar said these are "small minds operating under the orchestration of Umno. They operate even beyond Malaysian waters.
malaysiakini.com
"This is a seige mentality. They do not want the students to be exposed to other views because we are often labelled as pro-Communist and pro-Christians.
"They cannot imagine that we have direct access to the students," Anwar added.
malaysiakini.com
He said he was also invited to read the khutbah in a mosque in Adelaide on Friday.
"I don't know if they would stop people from coming to hear my khutbah also," he jested.
malaysiakini.com
CLICK to read: Anwar's relationship with Senator Xenophon
A diplomatic row is brewing between Canberra and Kuala Lumpur after an Australian politician was detained for security reasons as he tried to enter Malaysia. [CLICK FOR FULL STORY]
says.com
Read also: A month ago, students at the University of Adelaide held a protest to demand the removal of Taib Mahmud's name from the school building
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