KUALA LUMPUR: The Higher Education Ministry today cleared the air that Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah's tenure as the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) vice-chancellor was cut short due to his performance.
The ministry said Haim's leadership performance report had been submitted to the university's board of directors via a letter dated June 16, 2022.
"Before the decision was made to shorten his tenure as the UUM vice-chancellor, a committee had been formed at the ministerial level to study and assess the said report.
"Haim Hilman and several UUM senior officers had been called up by the ministry on Sept 23 and 29 last year to provide their explanation on issues that had been raised to find an amicable solution for the interest of UUM," the ministry said in a statement.
A video posted on TikTok went viral, featuring Haim Hilman who had claimed that his tenure as UUM vice-chancellor had ended unexpectedly without any explanation.
He claimed during the "Sembang Santai Calon' programme that he was not given the chance to defend himself.
Haim Hilman, 50, is the Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate for Jitra in the Aug 12 state elections.
"The ministry denies the statement made by Perikatan Nasional Kedah state election candidate Dr Haim Hilman, who claimed that the shortening of his appointment was related to him contesting in Jitra," said the ministry.
The ministry added it was always strict and committed when it comes to ensuring that leaders of public universities possess credentials and are able to manage resources well.
