PETALING JAYA: The attacks on Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders over “fake degrees” continue with Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin being targeted.
A local daily reported that Zuraida’s science degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has been questioned by Twitter user Don Juan deRyezal.
Zuraida hit out today by saying: “I have never claimed or held myself to be a graduate of NUS and I have never authorised anyone else to do so. I am also not responsible for the wrongful entry in wikipedia which claims that I am NUS graduate.”
She said she was disappointed that the media did not verify these obviously fake news with her before publishing it.
Previously the education credentials of Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Marzuki Yahya were questioned.
Marzuki, whose degree, initially stated as from the University of Cambridge pursued through a distance learning programme, later admitted that his degree was actually from the Cambridge International University in the United States.
Following this reveal, two others have had their education background quizzed, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Osman Sapian and Perak state executive councillor Paul Yong Choo Kiong.
Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming defended Tronoh assemblyman Paul Yong who had allegedly obtained a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from an American university.
Nga said the issue was raised by the MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, Yong had obtained the MBA legally by passing the examination, even though at that time the university was not officially recognised by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) Faculty of Syariah and Law senior lecturer Dr Muzaffar Syah Mallow said faking a certificate or any document is not only a serious misconduct which can put an end to someone professional career but also can be consider as a crime.
“Lately, there has talk concerning fake certificate and credential documents. The issue cannot be treated lightly as it involves confidence, trust and reputation surrounding the individual and the organization which they belong to” he said.
He pointed out that this issue is not something new, it has occurred for the last few years and this issue is does not only happen here, it has happened in all countries.
Muzaffar said it is very difficult to identify the exact cause which gives rise to this issue, it is believed to have happen because of desperation in finding job which require certain kind of qualification, new advancement in the technology which make faking process of certificate and documents very easy.
He said there cannot be compromise on such an issue as it can jeopardize the organization reputation as well as the quality of services which they offered to the public.
