Police called me in as witness, not suspect, says academic

2026-03-13 - 05:34

Syaza Shukri said the Political Science Students’ Association had incorrectly reported that Bukit Aman summoned her and several other people under suspicion of ‘activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy’. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA: Political commentator Syaza Shukri says she was only called as a witness, and not as a subject of investigation, in a probe by police into an alleged plot to topple the government. The faculty member from International Islamic University Malaysia’s (IIUM) political science department said in a post on X that the “nerve-wracking experience” at Bukit Aman last Tuesday was “more an annoyance than anything else”. “I was called to clarify a quote from one and a half years ago. I hope (my being summoned) is not used to push other agendas,” she said. Syaza also noted that the Political Science Students’ Association (Possa) had incorrectly said Bukit Aman summoned her and several others under suspicion of “activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy”. “The 14 people listed were (also) called as witnesses, not suspects. I hope that clarifies the matter,” she said. FMT was informed that the summons relates to a statement by Syaza as quoted in a news report published in December 2024. Aside from Syaza, the police also summoned Pushpan Murugiah, CEO of the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4). He was said to have been summoned in connection with a probe under Section 124B of the Penal Code for activities deemed detrimental to parliamentary democracy. Possa had jumped to Syaza’s defence, questioning the police action and saying that comments on contemporary political developments should not be seen as criticism that is “detrimental to parliamentary democracy”. The students’ association warned that intimidating academics over their opinions could undermine Malaysia’s intellectual discourse and discourage scholars from discussing issues of public interest.