Tee attacks ‘ignorant’ critics of Idris Jusoh

He says the ultra kiasu pick on one or two facts and twist them around.

KUALA LUMPUR: Controversial preacher Ridhuan Tee has launched an attack on critics of Education Minister II Idris Jusoh, saying the ignorant should not speak about academic matters.

Tee, himself a lecturer in a local university, devoted his column in Sinar Harian today to defending Idris’ statement about Malaysia’s higher education system being on par with those of developed nations.

He accused the critics of “taking one or two facts and twisting them around”.

He said the “ultra kiasu” – his reference to extremist liberals – had played with the part of Idris’ statement that referred to the number of foreign students in Malaysia and ignored other factors that allegedly gave the minister reason to make his claim. He said Malaysia was recognised internationally for certain fields of study.

“The ultra kiasu ignored a 2014 Thomson Report in which four of our university professors were recognised as being among the foremost scientific minds in the world,” he said.

He also noted that Malaysia was referred to globally when it came to Islamic finance and banking.

“Many of our lecturers are sought after,” he said. “How strange it is then that the ultra kiasu ignore all that. Their hearts are darkened.”

He called for the ultra kiasu to be less petty in their criticism, accusing them of overdoing it in their anti-establishment attitude.

“Is it so important to get world ranking?” Tee asked.

“What is the guarantee that students coming from globally recognised universities can become the best in the workplace, useful to religion, the people and country?”

He said many ultra kiasu local entrepreneurs did not receive a higher education, but were nevertheless some of the richest people in the country.

“They became rich because of the help they received from the existing government system. The same goes for the ultra kiasu state assemblymen and MPs.”

He went on to mock public representatives who gambled, probably referring to a recent report about alleged gambling by a DAP state assemblyman.

“What university did these ultra kiasus go to?” he asked.

Tee called on the public to be less obsessed with chasing rankings and to avoid being taken in by the “academic business politics” played by the West, where rankings, he alleged, were created and then manipulated.

He also accused some Malaysian lecturers of being insincere in their profession, writing papers for status’ sake at the expense of their teaching duties.