In search of Kanang-like courage
Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
Learning Curve: Perspective
New Sunday Times - 13-01-2013
MY heart skipped a beat when I saw a portrait of the late Datuk Temenggong Kanang Langkau, dressed in a graduation gown and a mortar board, in front of his casket at Dewan Bukavu, 3rd Brigade camp in Penrissen, Kuching.
I felt very proud that such a portrait was chosen as a mark of respect for a national hero. It is certainly an honour for the academic community as the late Kanang was renowned for his military prowess.
At the same time, I felt embarrassed that the likes of Kanang in the education sector are few and far between, despite the famous saying, "The pen is mightier than the sword". How many academics and intellectuals have put their lives at risk -- the way Kanang did -- to protect the well-being of Malaysia and its people?
Pre-independence, many who fought against the colonial powers were intellectuals. They worked side by side with soldiers in the front line.
They acted in unison to bring the message home that the people must be liberated from the colonial yoke; not only physically, but also starting with the liberation of the mind.
The teaching fraternity formed a large majority, together with journalists and professionals.
They were many Kanangs among them! They worked tirelessly laying down the foundation, struggling to prepare for the future.
Their selfless sacrifices led to where we are today. Sadly, similar acts are gradually waning today.
Fast forward 50 years after Merdeka, thousands of Kanang's colleagues are still protecting the country and its people selflessly. Their untold sacrifices ensure that we are able to sleep tight every night; perhaps, at times, we are so cosy that we take them for granted.
Many in the academic field are no longer as active as their pre-independence counterparts.
The role of the pen is no longer as mighty! By and large, members of the academe are rather mute today. Many are imprisoned in their self-made world.
Some prefer to go in search of greener pastures at the slightest challenge to their academic status. The axiom today is more like "the dollar is mightier than the pen!" Far from changing mindsets to protect the nation and its people, the tendency is to merely conform through dulling of the mind.
This is where the ethos of education gives way to the business of education with war-like strategy to "internationalise" and "hegemonise". It is more subtle to subjugate than liberate!
We lack Kanang-like courage in the academic community to adamantly defend the principles of education to free the mind without fear or favour, using the pen as a liberating force.
This goes beyond writing for the sake of getting citations. No doubt, it is about generating ideas, but for what purpose?
And to answer this, we need to return to basic issues about knowledge, and where it comes from. There must be a sharper focus on the notion of a "21st century enlightenment" or, at the very least, give a better understanding of the 18th century enlightenment as a mark of fundamental change in knowledge structures.
Interestingly, these debates are taking place in the world of "Science" as we understand it today. The Science that was developed provincially in the 18th century has lost some of its zest and its ability to protect nations and people of the world.
Despite many advances, the eventual conclusion is far from certain as "Science" has allegedly been turned into a dogma of sorts. It is no longer as challenging, but more conforming.
As countries invest in "Science", few are bothered to ask what kind of "Science" they are investing in.
This is where the late Kanang's portrait reminds us that the pen is mightier than the sword!
- The writer is the vice-chancellor of the Albukhary International University