Ramasamy, who lectured at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia from 1981 to 2005, said Solehah Yaacob’s claim had sparked uproar in academic circles, particularly because her area of expertise bore little relevance to disciplines such as history, archaeology, or maritime studies – fields which he said were necessary to make such sweeping historical claims.
Solehah, an Arabic language lecturer at IIUM, was believed to have made the remarks after the discovery of a 13th-century shipwreck near Pulau Melaka last Friday.
In response, IIUM said yesterday that it regretted the academic’s actions as they had tarnished the university’s academic integrity and reputation. IIUM also said that Solehah’s comments were made in her personal capacity and did not represent the university’s official position.
Ramasamy, a former Penang deputy chief minister, said it was “astonishing” that IIUM had chosen leniency rather than disciplinary action against a lecturer who made claims that were “vastly disconnected” from established historical knowledge.
“Rather than applying rigorous academic standards in addressing the matter, IIUM took a wishy-washy stance by describing Solehah’s statement as merely her personal opinion.
“Personal opinions may be acceptable on family or social matters, but certainly not in advancing claims about the development of ancient civilisations.
“Academics are expected to present opinions grounded in facts, supported by research, and defensible through scholarly scrutiny. To pass off unsubstantiated claims as personal opinion is to erode the very foundation of academic integrity.”
He said IIUM’s response made Solehah’s statement even more laughable and was deeply troubling for the credibility of its academic community.
Ramasamy also asked whether personal opinions, when expressed publicly under the banner of academic authority, were immune from accountability.
He said the assertion that the Romans learnt shipbuilding from the Malays was an extraordinary proposition that demanded equally extraordinary evidence, not idle conjecture.
Adding that academics were responsible for substantiating their statements with evidence, Ramasamy said unsupported assertions could not be shielded behind the convenient excuse of being “personal opinions”.
“By dismissing Solehah’s statement in such a manner, IIUM has abdicated its responsibility to uphold academic accountability and rigour.
“Those in charge of academic standards at IIUM should be ashamed of defending what is clearly indefensible.
“The presence of academics who make such baseless claims – and institutions that defend them – makes a mockery of higher education in Malaysia,” he said.