YOURSAY | Our politicians and their fetish for fake degrees
YOURSAY | ‘When a country thrives on symbolism and not reality, nothing is true or real.’
Zahidi's academic credentials under spotlight after Veveonah jibe
MS: Like the platform shoes preferred by unusually short men with big egos, or toupees by the significantly bald, these semi-literates populating “politik kebangsaan” (national politics) first gravitate towards degree mills to shore up their credentials before reaching out to the high and mighty with the power to award titles.
Adorning themselves with hollow letters and titles, not unlike cheap costume jewellery or those "Roleks" from Petaling Street, they strut around Putrajaya and Parliament, looking important with nothing escaping their lips except the drivel that drips annoyingly like some leaky tap.
So what does it say about local politics as a whole when sleazeballs stripped of their academic credentials like that Cantabrigian wannabe formerly of Bersatu still walk around tall and proud?
One would have thought that one embarrassing exposure like that would have frightened others like this Global University Padang Besar fellow to not indulge in the same fraud.
But no. They have to keep on proving that they have no shame, none whatsoever. And what is even more telling than that is their chorus line called the National Council of Professors, whose leading lights, I understand, organised the Kongres Maruah last year.
Not one of its members has seen it fit to condemn their benefactors with fake degrees.
Ferdtan: The bigger moral question here over Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Zahidi Zainul Abidin is not of how one cheats in stating his or her bogus qualifications to enhance his or her academic profile image, but rather, the hypocrisy of it.
He has been alleged of faking his qualification in the public domain, yet he dared to criticise another of being a fake which turned out to be untrue.
We have a lot of hypocrisy in our politicians - don't do what I do, even if what I do is wrong.
If this is found to be wrong, Zahidi must resign or be sacked as his credibility is suspect. Is the Perikatan Nasional (PN) cabinet full of quacks?
Just A Malaysian: When a country thrives on symbolism and not reality, nothing is true or real.
Everything is based on perception. We live on cliches. See how our leaders demonise DAP (read: the Chinese). How they cleanse themselves of corruption and relabelled themselves - just look at “Boss Ku”. How they defend their stupidity and bigotry.
Everything about our politics and its players is fake. The Sheraton Move was by a man who fought for 20 years for reformasi. We have a religious figure lying through the teeth. Defenders of a race stealing from a fund meant for that race.
Fake, fake, fake... that's what we all have become. So a fake degree, what is the big deal?
Hibiscus: What is wrong with not having a university degree? Why do Malaysians crave after university degrees?
You don’t see this type of thinking in developed countries. In fact, one who has achieved much despite not having a university degree will be an inspiration to others who are without degrees.
Many high achievers and respected individuals in society are college and university dropouts.
The Wakandan: Academic qualification is not always important for politicians. it is more about capability and attributes that the people like and want.
If a politician lies about personal data, it just shows the person is not honest. If the person thinks a lie about academic achievement is needed to have a more credible standing, that person can lie to get what he wants, and he also can lie when it is expedient.
He is, therefore, not what the people should want. It is hard to justify what he did.
Dr Raman: Publicly claiming to have an academic qualification, but turns out to be a fake, isn't that cheating, a Penal Code offence?
Furthermore, people entrusted with high office and authority in public institutions, seemingly advertising themselves as qualified for the job but with fake degrees, isn't that abuse of power?
Ranjit Singh Malhi: There are numerous politicians, corporate trainers and businesspersons with fake and unaccredited degrees from degree mills.
For instance, one of the top officials of a leading institute of human resource management (HRM) has a fake PhD in HRM from a local university. He also claims to have a PhD from Honolulu University which is an unaccredited institution.
It is high time that the government declares possession of fake and dubious degrees as a criminal offence and includes it in the relevant legislation. Countries such as Indonesia and South Africa have done so.
Sentinel: For a person helming the deputy minister portfolio for communications and multimedia, he sure is adept at providing fodder for netizens.
It's obviously clear that his press shop is monitoring our comments and updating him on his metrics hence the need to shift the debate from cyberbullying Universiti Malaysia Sabah student Veveonah Mosibin to something else.
Well, netizens are going to remember you for being a bully through and through… and rest assured ammunition for Sabah state elections.
Bluemountains: There are so many ministers who are deemed no longer suitable to hold public office.
One minister violated quarantine laws. Two deputies wrongly accused an 18-year-old student of lying. A deputy minister exposed for obtaining degrees from degree mills.
However, the PM might still keep them because sacking them may result in the PM sacking himself.
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