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Lecture by leading voice on reform in Malaysia

12 July 2006

Mr Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Malaysia, will give a public lecture on Friday 21 July in Melbourne.

The lecture, 'Islam and Democracy', is sponsored by Monash's Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology, the Monash Asia Institute and the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute.

Mr Ibrahim will be in Australia to attend the 8th World Shakespeare Congress in Brisbane and has accepted a personal invitation to speak in Melbourne by the seminar organisers.

He has held a life-long interest in political activism and is a leading voice for reform in Malaysia.

While studying at the University of Malaya, Mr Ibrahim founded the Malaysia Muslim Youth Movement in 1971, serving as president for 10 years. In 1981, he co-founded the International Institute of Islamic Thought and was elected to the Malaysian parliament in 1982, serving in cabinet as Minister of Youth in 1983 and later as Minister of Education and Finance. He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in 1993.

Mr Ibrahim was sacked from government in September 1998 and jailed over a series of charges. He was released from prison in September 2004 after being acquitted by the Malaysian Federal Court.

The Director of the Monash Asia Institute, Professor Marika Vicziany, said Mr Ibrahim's lecture was a tremendous opportunity to gain insight into his views on democracy and political reform in Malaysia, one of Australia's most important neighbours.

"Anwar's main contribution in the future will be to promote democracy in Malaysia and work toward political reforms that turn away from authoritarianism and its frequent response -- militant Islam," Professor Vicziany said.

"He is a modern-thinking Muslim who avoids stereotypes and feels no need to demonise non-Muslims. He squarely puts the problem of modern Islam at the feet of Islamic societies and politics. The role of non-Muslim countries is to support democratic rather than authoritarian regimes.

"His perspective on Islam and democracy is shared by many Australian scholars working on Islam in that he sees Islamic extremism as a minority movement that does not represent most Muslims."

The free public lecture will be held on Friday 21 July from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Carrillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, at the University of Melbourne.

The lecture will be followed by a panel session featuring Dr David Wright-Neville, senior lecturer in politics from Monash's School of Political and Social Inquiry, and Professor Michael Leigh, director of the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute.

If you would like to attend, please contact Dr Tony Donaldson at tony.donaldson@adm.monash.edu.au.