KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Malaya student Ummi Umairah Bakhit will not retract her remarks about public donations to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, which she made at a summit here recently.
She reiterated that she would not apologise for the remarks, which sparked debate among various quarters.
"I stand by the question I asked and will not apologise. I hope more people will find the courage to speak up about corruption and integrity without fear," she said in a post on her Instagram account today.
Ummi said her views remained unchanged and that she remained committed to the principles of integrity, equality and justice, as well as opposing corruption.
"I have never picked and chosen which issues to fight for. I attended the demonstration against (former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Tan Sri) Azam Baki.
"I have also spoken out about inequality of opportunities at my university. From day one, I have been consistent in my stance," she said.
Ummi also expressed disappointment with the reactions of some members of the public, which she described as being influenced by cyberbullying, political obsession and a feudal mentality.
"Describing an act as stupid is not an offence under the law. It is a strong expression used to describe an act that is unbelievable or makes no sense.
"Critical thinking is increasingly eroding. People read, but they do not think, conduct research or understand what they read. The context is distorted.
"Describing an act as stupid is not the same as calling someone stupid," she said.
Ummi recently said she had faced online harassment and threats after videos of her remarks at the event went viral.
She, however, insisted that she would not be intimidated by the attacks, saying she believed it was her responsibility to challenge public perceptions, particularly among young people.
It was reported that Ummi raised the issue during a dialogue with former minister Khairy Jamaluddin, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.
She questioned public donations to Najib, citing his legal cases linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and his conviction in the SRC International case.
"The stupidest thing I have watched in my entire life is people donating to our former prime minister, Najib Razak, someone who clearly has a worldwide corruption case, 1MDB, and is clearly linked to corruption," she said.
Ummi also raised the Tabung Haji controversy and sought the panellists' views on corruption and political accountability.
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