Pakatan must have higher standards, says DAP on ‘fake degrees’

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 8 Feb 2019 7:45AM · 4 Comments

Marzuki Yahya taking the oath of office as a senator in the Dewan Negara last July. The deputy foreign affairs minister claims to have obtained a Cambridge University degree but from the US. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Kamal Ariffin, February 8, 2019.

DAP today waded into the “fake degree” controversy surrounding the deputy foreign affairs minister, saying that Pakatan Harapan should hold itself to higher standards of public accountability and transparency.

Marzuki Yahya claimed to have obtained a degree from the UK’s Cambridge University via a long-distance programme, while the British institution said if offers no such degrees.

“Under a New Malaysia, such issues should not be swept under the carpet and ignored, as it was under the Barisan Nasional government,” DAP’s Ong Kian Ming said in a statement.

“We have to hold ourselves up to higher standards of public accountability and transparency. If not, we would be seen as being no different as the previous BN administration.”

Regardless of the deputy minister’s choice – to resign or ride out the controversy – the matter now is whether Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad still has confidence in Marzuki to serve in his government, said Ong.

The Bangi MP added that a person need not possess a degree to be an effective politician.

Instead, a politician must be willing to work hard, go down to the ground and build a good team in addition to knowing his or her scope of work and policy responsibilities. – February 8, 2019.

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Comments

  • Hope the Chairman of Hope Party seriously study this issue from various facets confronting PH at this time after the defeat at Camerons. This was some of the reasons why the People voted against UMNO BN .

    Posted 5 years ago by CS Lin · Reply

  • I disagree with the view that 'a person need not possess a degree to be an effective politician'. Marzuki would not be in his present problem is that statement was true. The discipline required to get a good degree from a reputable University itself is a training in human development. I am not taking about a few Malaysian Universities where the essentials get diluted with the non essentials like Islamic and Malaysian studies which are over emphasised at all levels of education. Having worked at three local universities, I am ashamed to say that if you visit most Malaysian U. libraries you will find very clean untouched books in most of them.

    Posted 5 years ago by Citizen Pencen · Reply

  • We do not want PH to be easy going with bad practices, as much as UMNO condoning corrupt leaders to go unchecked. Nip everything at the bud for the benefit of the nation and for the people.
    There should not be any leeway for forgiving shortcomings.

    Posted 5 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • That deputy minister should just resign if he still has any moral integrity.

    Posted 5 years ago by Chee yee ng · Reply