By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Feb 9: It is high time for the government to put in place a system to screen fake degrees in the country, said Federation of Chinese Associations of Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions president Dato Richard Wee.
He said obtaining fake qualifications from degree mills was detrimental to the society at large.
“I strongly believe that it is high time for the government to put in place a vetting system to check on fake degrees, similar to the present system that vets honorific ‘Datukship’ titles throughout the country. This will prevent unscrupulous individuals who are trying to cheat,” Wee told DayakDaily today.
He stressed that what was more crucial to life was to “own it up to what you have”.
“It is very common now that someone suddenly has a PhD title even though you know his or her background very well. So, it’s very important to have a society where there is transparency, fairness and honesty.”
Wee, who is also Kuching Hockien Association president, pointed out that all qualifications should be properly earned through the hard way and not through shortcuts.
He was commenting on a news report that Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Marzuki Yahya, the man caught in the Cambridge fiasco, had said he played no part in the misinformation that his degree was from the UK university.
He maintained he had always said it was from Cambridge International University (CIU) in the United States, which he enrolled in 2002.
The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia secretary-general said he pursued the course mainly for the purpose of knowledge on logistics in the US as he was then the chief executive officer of a shipping and logistics company in Penang.
Meanwhile, Dayak Graduate Association president Dr Dusit Jaul said what was most crucial is integrity.
“It’s about integrity, and your relationship between you and your God.”. — DayakDaily
