SERIAN, June 29 — Human Resource Minister Datuk Richard Riot said today he is worthy of being appointed a federal minister, which was the prerogative of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, following calls by the opposition that he should be asked to resign for allegedly having fake university degrees.

Riot, who is also Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) deputy president, said the opposition’s accusation was uncalled for especially as it had questioned the integrity and wisdom of the prime minister in appointing him a minister in his new Cabinet.        

“As prime minister, he (Najib) has used his wisdom to find out whether I am fit to be a minister, and that includes my academic qualification, by tasking me to be in charge of the human resources portfolio, which is a very challenging ministry with 13 agencies,” he told reporters after launching the Pesta Birumuh 2013 and the state-level 1 Malaysia Support For Housewives and Azam Kerja programme here.

In rebuking the allegation, Riot, who is also Serian MP, said he would not hesitate to take legal action, if deemed necessary, against the three DAP MPs — Serdang MP Ong Kiang Ming, Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari and Stampin MP Julian Tan — for making the allegation, that had tarnished his image, outside Parliament.

It was quoted by online reports that they had urged Najib to ask Riot and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Ewon Ebin to resign for having fake degrees if the prime minister was serious about his Cabinet’s integrity.

However, Riot had said he was in the Human Resources Ministry because his first degree in human resource was from the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom while his master’s degree was also in the same field. — Bernama