The Cambridge International University fiasco with the Deputy Foreign Minister Dato’ Marzuki Yahya’s credibility and integrity is under a lot of flak provided a good opportunity for Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to reshuffle the Cabinet and top party posts.
The fake degree firestorm that is threatening to bring down the Deputy Foreign Minister could not have happened at a worse time for Bersatu.
DEPUTY Foreign Minister Datuk Marzuki Yahya’s political career was on the rise, especially after he was appointed to the key post of secretary-general of Bersatu.
But the ground seems to be crumbling under his feet ever since the news broke about his fake university degree.
The Kedah-born Marzuki is fighting for his survival even as the cruel world of social media has pronounced him guilty and is demanding that he resigns from his Foreign Ministry job.
There is a firestorm of public opinion out there over what has been dubbed the “Scam-bridge scandal”.
Nobody, including Marzuki himself, had questioned post-May 9 media reports that he graduated from the prestigious Cambridge University.
But when the scandal broke, Marzuki clarified that it was Cambridge International University in the United States which, to his further embarrassment, turned out to be a degree mill.
By then, the issue had acquired a life of its own, beyond his control or that of his party.
The prevailing opinion on social media is that if he cannot be honest about something as simple as his academic background, how can he be trusted on affairs of state?
It has been pointed out that if this was the private sector, the person would have been fired without further ado because it is a question of his credibility and integrity.
The question on everyone’s lips is whether Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will take the necessary action to safeguard the image of his government and party.
As former Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi pointed out, the collateral damage to Bersatu is high given that Marzuki is the party’s secretary-general.
It is not only the party of the Prime Minister, Bersatu is supposed to be the backbone of Pakatan Harapan, and it aims to replace Umno as the party of choice for Malays.
“It’s messy and it looks quite indefensible because he is not a small fry. He has a big post and is the face of our Foreign Ministry,” said Ooi.
And as some have pointed out, where is Malaysia going to put her face when Marzuki comes face-to-face with, for example, Singapore ministers, many of whom are genuine Oxbridge products.
“I have known Marzuki since our days in Umno Youth, and he never claimed he was from Cambridge University. My personal experience with him is that he is always supportive and has integrity as a politician,” said Bersatu supreme council member Akhramsyah Sanusi.
But Akhramsyah, who is also Mara Corp chairman, admitted he was shocked by the public furore.
“I want to stress that he was chosen as a deputy minister mainly for his experience and sacrifices for the party.
“We want our leaders to be of the highest integrity but I also believe in giving people a second chance,” said Akhramsyah.
The Marzuki scandal could not have happened at a worse time for Bersatu which is facing a pivotal by-election in Semenyih.
It also opened the floodgates to greater scrutiny of the educational background of other Pakatan leaders including two Mentris Besar, both of who are from Bersatu.
Several Pakatan leaders have jumped to their defence, saying that one does not need a degree to be an effective politician.
They are perfectly right except that the issue here concerns the integrity of politicians who have fake qualifications.
Marzuki is also on the threshold of possibly being declared the real winner for the Tasik Gelugor parliamentary seat in Penang.
Marzuki, who lost the seat in the general election by only 81 votes, applied to the courts for a recount on the grounds there were 297 unreturned postal votes and 689 spoilt votes.
The scandal has cast a pall over the court application.
Those familiar with Dr Mahathir do not expect him to ask Marzuki to resign.
The elderly leader has a track record of defending the indefensible for as long as the person is his loyalist.
But this is New Malaysia. If Dr Mahathir decides to save Marzuki, he will not get the same docile reaction from the public as during his first round as Prime Minister.
Nevertheless, he will have the last say as the Prime Minister and chairman of his party.
The fake degree scandal underscores the perception that Bersatu is seriously short of qualified and capable people to fill government posts. This issue is one more reason why Dr Mahathir should reshuffle his Cabinet sooner rather than later.
It will be awkward for Marzuki to continue in foreign affairs. If Dr Mahathir decides to keep him, he may want to put Marzuki where he does not have to represent the country.
Perhaps the most baffling thing about this whole rigmarole is that in the Internet era, where almost everything one does has a digital footprint, there are still people who think they can get away with faking their academic qualifications.
“Let this serve as a lesson for New Malaysia,” said Ooi.
Rakyat wajib bangkit menentang, jatuhkan pemimpin ‘sijil palsu’ – Penganalisa
There is also now a new public discourse mainly through social media on Housing Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin’s Degree from National University of Singapore.
PETALING JAYA: Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin says that she never claimed to be a graduate of the National University of Singapore (NUS).
“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.
Zuraida added that she was disappointed that no one had verified the fact with her before the news was published.
She was responding to allegations that her academic credentials had been falsified after a Twitter user said he was unable to find her name on the NUS’ online degree verification portal.
The tweet included a Bernama infographic, which stated that she had obtained a social science degree from the University of Singapore.
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbernamaofficial%2Fphotos%2Fa.10150341276330555%2F10156497276630555%2F%3Ftype%3D3&width=500
On its website, NUS stated that it was established in 1980 after a merger between the University of Singapore and Nanyang University.
Zuraida also said that she was not responsible for any wrongful information online which stated that she was an NUS graduate.
A check revealed that there have been numerous edits to her Wikipedia page to reflect that Zuraida had graduated from “Harvard University of higher learning” and even a “Syok Sendiri University”.
However, Wikipedia shows that the username of the person who made those changes does not exist.
There are six autonomous universities in Singapore including the NUS.
Others are Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore Institute of Technology and Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Even level headed staunch party supporters making this call. The matter of integrity has to be resolved.
Time to reshuffle
The Cambridge International University fiasco with the Deputy Foreign Minister Dato’ Marzuki Yahya’s credibility and integrity is under a lot of flak provided a good opportunity for Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to reshuffle the Cabinet and top party posts.
Joceline Tan column in The Star:
This created a lot of ruckus and heated, be it in in the mainstream and social media.
Utusan Online story:
And Sinar Harian story:
There is also now a new public discourse mainly through social media on Housing Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin’s Degree from National University of Singapore.
The Star Online story:
This is very appalling.
Imagine, what are HE Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Charge d’Affairs to Kuala Lumpur representing their Kings, Queens and/or Presidents and the people, are reporting back to their leaders, on the matter of education integrity pertaining to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs?
Addendum: Other Cabinet Ministers and Menteri Besars also.
What does it reflect about us, Federation of Malaysia and Malaysians.
It is time to make changes. It is time for Cabinet and party Supreme Council positions to be reshuffled.
Bring in more credible leaders, within the party into the centre court and replace these leaders with doubtful education qualification and their dodgy attitude of not being truthful about it.
Example of party leaders worthy to be considered, Dato’ Dr Rais Hussin, Akramsyah Muammar Ubaidullah Sanusi, Tariq Mustapha and Wan Shahrir.
One note from a staunch PPBM supporter:
Even level headed staunch party supporters making this call. The matter of integrity has to be resolved.
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