• மலேசியா Ramasamy Criticizes IIUM's Response to Lecturer's Claim on Roman Shipbuilding
• Share On:
• ramani on 2025-11-07 11:09:19

PETALING JAYA – Urimai chairman P Ramasamy has strongly condemned the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) for its handling of a recent claim made by one of its lecturers. The lecturer, Solehah Yaacob, asserted that the Romans acquired the art of shipbuilding from the Malays, a statement that has ignited controversy within academic circles.

 

Ramasamy, a former lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, emphasized that Solehah\'s expertise in Arabic language is far removed from the disciplines of history, archaeology, and maritime studies, which are essential for making such significant historical claims.

 

Solehah\'s remarks reportedly followed the discovery of a 13th-century shipwreck near Pulau Melaka last Friday. In response, IIUM expressed regret that the academic's comments had damaged the university's academic integrity and clarified that Solehah\'s views were personal and did not reflect the institution's official stance.

 

However, Ramasamy, who also served as Penang’s deputy chief minister, found it "astonishing\" that IIUM opted for leniency instead of disciplinary action against a lecturer whose claims were "vastly disconnected" from established historical knowledge.

 

Ramasamy argued that IIUM\'s stance was a "wishy-washy" attempt to dismiss Solehah\'s statement as merely a personal opinion, which he deemed unacceptable when advancing claims about the development of ancient civilizations.

 

He further asserted that academics are expected to ground their opinions in facts, support them with research, and defend them through scholarly scrutiny. According to Ramasamy, passing off unsubstantiated claims as personal opinion undermines the very foundation of academic integrity.

 

Ramasamy questioned whether personal opinions, when publicly expressed under the guise of academic authority, should be exempt from accountability. He insisted that the claim that the Romans learnt shipbuilding from the Malays requires extraordinary evidence, not mere conjecture.

 

In conclusion, Ramasamy stated that IIUM\'s handling of the situation demonstrates a failure to uphold academic accountability and rigour. He called on those responsible for academic standards at IIUM to acknowledge their error in defending the indefensible. Ramasamy warned that the presence of academics making baseless claims, and institutions defending them, undermines higher education in Malaysia.

Storyby

#Maahgeshan