DAP has hit out at MCA for trying to drag its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng into the fake degree fiasco, saying that the opposition party was trying to sensationalise a non-existent issue.

DAP publicity secretary Tony Pua said MCA president Wee Ka Siong is “bankrupt of ideas” for trying to question Lim’s accounting degree from Monash University, Australia, and whether the finance minister was a certified accountant.

Wee based his argument on a purported discrepancy between what was published on Lim’s personal website and details on Monash University’s site.

Lim’s website states that he became a qualified professional accountant in 1983 but the university’s records claim he had only received his Bachelor of Economics in 1984.

“Since Wee has his head planted so deep in the sand, he might be interested to know that the Australian academic calendar ends in November, before the summer break,” Pua, who is also Lim’s special officer at the Finance Ministry, said at a press conference today.

“Therefore, by the end of 1983, Lim has completed and passed all his examinations necessary for him to obtain his degree and qualifications to be an accountant.”

Pua said Lim had received his Certificate of Membership from the Australian Society of Accountants three months after passing his examinations on February 21, 1984.

“His membership was received even before he received his degree certificate on April 11, 1984,” Pua said, presenting copies of both certificates.

“One would have expected a PhD holder such as Wee to be able to tell the difference between when a person successfully graduated from university as opposed to when he or she receives the ‘official’ certificate, which can be issued 6 months or even a year later!”

Lim became the latest minister from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government to have his academic qualifications scrutinised by opposition Barisan Nasional parties, Umno and MCA.

This was after Deputy Foreign Minister Marzuki Yahya landed in hot water for attempting to pass off a long distance, online business administration degree he earned from an American university as one from the prestigious Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.

The opposition has also started to question the academic qualifications of PH ministers Mohamad Sabu, Zuraida Kamaruddin and Johor Menteri Besar Osman Sapian.

PH leaders have also hit back at BN by arguing that Marzuki was chosen based on his credibility, political strength and contributions to the PH coalition.

In his allegation against Lim, MCA’s Wee had said “which country accepts an economics graduate to become a ‘qualified professional accountant’?”

Responding today, Pua said every university has its own conventions in naming their degrees.

“Having a ‘Bachelor of Economics’ degree does not mean that Lim didn’t study accountancy (or he wouldn’t have qualified for the Australian Society of Accountants). Certain schools grant accountancy programmes as ‘Bachelor of Commerce’ etc.

“And just so that Wee doesn’t repeat his boo-boo any time in the near future, Oxbridge universities grant only ‘Bachelor of Arts’ degrees for undergraduates regardless of the subject of study. That means whether you graduated in law or physics or economics, you will get a BA (Hons) Oxon or BA (Hons) Cantab to your name.

“By Wee’s definition of qualification, there would be hundreds of thousands of unqualified and unemployed Oxbridge graduates loitering around the world,” said Pua. – February 11, 2019.