THRE are bigger issues to worry about than the ministers’ fake educational credentials, said Associate Prof Dr Ahmad Martadha Mohamed.

While integrity is important in a leader, arguing over academic qualification won’t solve national issues, said Martadha, who is the College of Law, Government and International Studies dean at Universiti Utara Malaysia.

“I think there are bigger issues than this and if we are to look for mistakes all the time, we are going to find them. We must go beyond petty matters. Our economic issues are far more important – like how are we going to strengthen our ringgit, for example,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“I do understand that integrity is vital but this won’t bring us any benefit. Pointing fingers are easy. Today I’ll point at your mistake, tomorrow you’ll look for my mistake. When are we going to move forward?”

Marthada said if Barisan Nasional is dissatisfied with the issue, the opposition bloc should take it up in parliament.

“Bring it up in parliament. Fight it out there. Who knows, one day there might be a law that says anyone who wants to become an MP or a minister must at least have a valid degree.

“Like in Thailand, there is a law that requires an MP to have a degree before they can go into office.”

Politweet founder Ahmad Kamal Nava said the fake degree issue was barely making a ripple on Twitter as the young people are more interested in the fight between Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and a local entrepreneur.

“This fake degree issue is not a hit on Twitter. People are more into the dispute between Syed Saddiq and the owner of a local beverage Haus Boom. 

“Let’s see if the issue becomes a hit next week,” he said when contacted.

DAP MP Ong Kian Ming said one does not need a degree to be a good politician or have a successful career.

“You don’t need a degree to be an effective politician. Just like you don’t need a degree to be a successful CEO.

“What is not acceptable is to claim that you have a degree when you don’t have one or the one that you have is from a degree mill.”

Yesterday, Johor Menteri Besar Osman Sapian declined to answer questions on his academic qualifications.

Osman came under fire after he ignored media questions regarding his accounting degree allegedly from Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Osman’s Bersatu colleague, Deputy Foreign Minister Marzuki Yahya was the first to be in the crosshairs over his credentials when it was revealed that the UK Cambridge University degree he said he held turned out to be from the Cambridge International University in the US.

The American institution has since come under scrutiny, with increased suspicion that it is a degree mill awarding certificates with little to no actual study involved.

Meanwhile, ministers Mohamad Sabu and Zuraida Kamaruddin have both denied they are university graduates and that they have faked their educational credentials.

Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, told a news portal that he never graduated from Mara Institute of Technology (ITM) as he was expelled over his student activism.

Zuraida denied ever claiming to be a graduate of the prestigious National University of Singapore. – February 10, 2019.