OUR centre, Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy, recently hosted a lecture by a prominent historian on the topic of scholarship and activism.
The one-hour presentation by Dr T.G. Lim convinced many who attended that scholarship and activism do form a potent mix for real reform.
Quoting the many years of fighting to end apartheid in South Africa, many may not be aware of the decisive contribution coming from the scholarship and activism movement then.
The key message from the lecture was the strategic importance of scholars to be actively involved in pushing for change.
Malaysia is now seriously contemplating reform for the betterment of the nation. We are talking about a range of reforms including institutional, economic, educational, social and political.
The few who attended whom we regard as veterans of the country's reform movement all these years shared their views on the subject of the talk. Three of them used to serve in politics, while the others were involved in non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
All without exception count among Malaysians who have made their mark trying to build the country to be a great nation.
All who came agreed that it would do the nation much good if more scholars and intellectuals shared their knowledge with the community at large.
All were unanimous on the fact that politics alone will not deliver reform. The involvement of scholars and academics can make a big difference. Unfortunately, this is sorely lacking in the country at present.
Can it be because it is not part of the key performance indicators (KPIs)? There have been some calls for scholarly activism to be a prominent component of the KPIs for academics.
The common feeling is that many of the KPIs are only concerned about academic performance. Publishing in peer-reviewed journals is the highlight of the expected deliverables by academics.
Though there has been some encouragement lately for scholars to devote some time to community work, real activism is unfortunately not included in the scheme.
Activism would, at some time, involve rocking the status quo.
It seems this is not tolerated. There are a few who silently defy such a ruling. Judging by the feedback from the communities, many appreciate such initiatives.
The positive impact would have been greater if such scholarly activism were to better recognised in the performance measurement by the authorities.
It is common knowledge that scholarly activism is highly encouraged in developed economies. For example, it is widely known that in some developed economies, government funding of NGOs is common.
Admittedly, there are some matters which governments cannot say openly because of diplomatic sensitives. But they need to be said in the interest of nation-building.
So, the job is often assigned to NGOs. Such NGOs often are used by scholars to pursue their activism agenda.
They can be very effective and convincing because scholars bring with them facts and evidence. This is what is called evidence-based, as against emotion-driven activism.
A common area where such tactics are deployed includes the issues of sustainability and the environment. According to studies, the sustainability movements in developed countries are mostly government-funded.
Some are intended to support the trade and economic interests of the countries funding such NGOs. Often, developing countries end up as victims of such schemes.
It may be time for developing countries like Malaysia to use the NGO approach to fight our trade and economic battles. This is where scholarly activism can feature and make a positive impact.
However, to breed such movements, the rules must change.
Come to think of it, there is more that the country can gain by making it more conducive to the rise in what some refer to as public intellectualism. Many believe such scholarly activism can also be a good breeding ground for future leaders.
Furthermore, it is a known fact that people who join NGOs are often passionate about the cause of the movements present. It is clear, as echoed by those who attended the lecture by Dr T.G. Lim, scholarship and activism form a truly potent mix for reform.
The writer is a professor at the Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy, UCSI University