Harapan’s immoral stance over fake degrees

QUESTION TIME | The lack of action against Pakatan Harapan politicians holding key positions over the alleged use of fake degrees is worrisome and reflects further evidence of a decline in moral standards within the coalition.

When fake degrees became a big issue among Umno/BN politicians, the Umno politicians simply carried on in their positions, as if they had never lied about their degrees or misrepresented their qualifications, which may be a crime in some circumstances.

Now we see a slew of such allegations being made against Harapan coalition members. Conspicuous by their absence are voices within Harapan calling for a complete explanation by those implicated and expulsion from their posts. This is a highly immoral, unethical and hypocritical stance.

The component parties of Harapan are now tongue-tied over their own members being accused of holding fake degrees when they were so loud in their proclamations for explanations and expulsions when they were previously in the opposition.

Let’s look at the more recent dirty half-dozen cases to see how much substance there is for each of the claims, and how they have stacked up in terms of proper explanations and replying to allegations.

1. Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng (DAP)

So far, Lim Guan Eng is the highest-ranking cabinet member, as finance minister, to have been accused of misrepresenting his qualifications. He is also secretary-general of DAP, the number one person in the party.

MCA president Wee Ka Siong questioned whether Lim is a qualified professional accountant, although he did not question his university degree.

However, Lim’s political secretary Tony Pua replied, without directly addressing the question of whether Lim (photo) is a professional accountant, that Lim became a member of the Australian Society of Accountants as soon as he finished his degree in 1983, with the degree being awarded in 1984.

The membership certificate clearly states it is a provisional membership. Professional organisations normally require a period of practice and additional examinations after graduation to qualify as a professional accountant, usually called chartered accountants or certified public accountants. In Malaysia, they are also required to be members of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

Thus it is that MCA’s Wee retorted, despite Pua’s threat that Lim may take action against those who question his educational credentials, that a provisional membership is far from being a fully certified chartered accountant.

So far, despite the controversy, no evidence has been adduced to show that Lim is a chartered or certified public accountant or that he has a full membership in a recognised professional accounting body. According to this report, Lim declined to answer questions relating to whether he is a chartered accountant, making the situation unclear.

In a 2012 news report, Lim had actually claimed that he was a failed accountant, and everything turned out well because he became chief minister. All of which imply that Lim has some explaining to do, which he has not. A terrible position for a finance minister to be in, don’t you agree?

2. Johor Menteri Besar Osman Sapian (Bersatu)

The menteri besar of Johor - Bersatu’s Osman Sapian - smiled when he was asked about his degree and did not answer. Subsequently, he clarified that he did not complete his university studies.

The Johor government's website previously showed that Osman had a degree and diploma in accounting from Universiti Putra Malaysia. It did not state when these certificates were obtained.

This is a clear-cut open-and-shut case of lying about one’s qualifications. If you can lie about that, what else will you also lie about? Not safe to keep him as menteri besar.

3. Housing Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin (PKR)

Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin denied that she had a degree in social science from the National University of Singapore. “I have never claimed or held myself to be a graduate of NUS, and I have never authorised anyone else to do so," she said in a statement.

However, there is an infographic by Bernama, which listed Zuraida (photo) as an NUS graduate. The infographic was created when she was appointed to the cabinet in May last year.

Zuraida told Malaysiakini that Bernama did not verify this information with her. Maybe, but why did she not correct Bernama, and who gave Bernama the qualification? Does Bernama simply add the qualification? Pertinent questions yet to be answered.

4. Deputy Foreign Minister Marzuki Yahya (Bersatu)

Bersatu secretary-general and deputy foreign minister Marzuki Yahya started the ball rolling with a claim that he had a degree in business administration from Cambridge University, the renowned university in the UK which is regularly on the top 10 lists of universities in the world. Turns out that Cambridge does not even award such a degree.

Eventually, Marzuki came clean, admitting he got it from Cambridge International University, a notorious US degree mill. He claimed he took three years to get his degree. He left his fate in the good hands of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad no less, which, as it turns out, was a wise decision.

Not long after, he sat on Mahathir’s left as he (Mahathir) performed the despicable, immoral, unethical and hypocritical act of welcoming former Umno MPs into Bersatu. What was a fake degree compared to that?

Marzuki is safe, but he may have to endure some sniggering when he negotiates lofty state matters with his counterparts in other countries.

5. DAP assemblyperson Paul Yong Choo Kiong

And then there is Perak (Tronoh) DAP assemblyperson Paul Yong Choo Kiong, who has an MBA from the dubious Akamai University (I have not heard of it either) in the US. He has no degree qualification, which raises questions as to how he qualified to study for a higher degree.

But Perak DAP chairperson Nga Kor Ming claimed that Yong passed his examinations and said that the problem was that the MBA was not recognised by Malaysia. While one must commend Nga’s readiness to come to Yong’s defence, one must condemn the lack of investigation into the qualifications of Yong (photo). 

According to Akamai’s website, even the US education authority does not recognise its degree. “AKAMAI UNIVERSITY IS NOT ACCREDITED BY AN ACCREDITING AGENCY RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION”, it says in block letters.

Surely it is wrong to put up educational qualifications from such a disreputable university.

6. The Harapan candidate for Semenyih

Finally, Harapan’s candidate for the Semenyih by-election, Muhammad Aiman Zainali from Bersatu, had to explain himself two days into the campaign trail. The 30-year-old attempted to clear the air about his doctorate after discrepancies were found in his biodata and LinkedIn profile. But it left a lot of doubts. 

Campaign flyers have listed him as pursuing a PhD in electrical engineering but his LinkedIn profile states that he had completed his studies in 2016.

“When I created the account, I had listed that I expected to graduate by 2016, but that didn’t happen because I had to put my studies on hold to take care of my ill grandmother.” That’s convenient but why did he not update his account? Does one claim he has completed his studies even before he has?

These are serious issues. They are not witch hunts, as claimed by DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, Guan Eng’s father. It was an uncharacteristic statement by a person who has devoted his life to the truth. One must ascertain if wrong claims have been made, as it reflects on a person’s integrity and honesty.

Two cabinet ministers, a menteri besar, a deputy minister and an election candidate are involved. In terms of parties, three are from Bersatu, two from DAP and one from PKR. It is serious enough to warrant complete explanations from those involved and for action to be taken against them.

So far, there is not so much as even a word of admonition from top party leaders, but ridiculous explanations such as “at least he did not rape or rob” to excuse some of the actions. That’s very disappointing for a party that is supposed to reform this country.

---

P GUNASEGARAM believes in the old adage that action speaks louder than words. He is waiting for more action. E-mail: t.p.guna@gmail.com. - Mkini