KUALA LUMPUR — Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) should study American civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks and their fight against racism instead of glorifying the Ku Klux Klan, said DAP leader Kashturi Patto.
She said the university’s defence of the matter was in “bad taste” and that it ought to have “done better”.
“There is no place for the glorification of the Ku Klux Klan in the name of dissecting the heart of racism when instead the prime focus should be on the sacrifices of men and women who valiantly looked racism in the eye and denied it by their actions.
“As a university that is placed at 587 in the QS World University Rankings 2025 and having more than 180,000 students, UiTM must step up and do better,” Kasthuri, who is DAP secretary for international affairs, said in a statement.
Police meanwhile, have begun investigating the matter, which came to light in a viral video on social media.
Sepang police chief ACP Norhizam Bahaman confirmed in a statement that police received a complaints about the video yesterday.
UiTM in a statement yesterday defended the activity at its Dengkil campus which had students dress up in white clothing and pointed hoods as part of an assignment on global human rights issues.
The institution said the activity was part of a presentation for the Contemporary Global and Legal Issues course conducted by the university’s Foundation Centre, and intended to promote critical thinking and raise student awareness of international human rights issues. UiTM also said the costumes and visual elements used were intended to help students “understand” and “appreciate” the topics presented, as well as provide a more comprehensive picture from a historical and global perspective.
However, Kasthuri, who is also DAP Wanita vice-chair, questioned why UiTM chose to explore racial injustice by focusing on the KK, rather than figures like King and Parks.
“Rather than using the excuse of studying about racism through the white veil of the KKK on their barbarity and racism, UiTM should have placed the spotlight on the indomitable spirit, perseverance, resistance, endurance and the peaceful civil rights movement of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks to fight for equality, justice and fairness for all,” she said.
“These are two gems in the story of the fight against racism in America whose heroism has been carried through the ages and remains a stark reminder that the fight must continue against injustices anywhere,” she added.
The KKK is a white supremacist, far-right hate group notorious for its extremist ideology and history of violent attacks and killings targeting other racial groups in the United States.
Established in 1865, it was originally formed to oppose the emancipation of Black slaves following the American Civil War and to uphold white dominance in the southern states. – April 16, 2025