KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — Gerakan National Youth Chief Ooi Zhi Yi today questioned why Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Marzuki Yahya waited before admitting that his degree was not from the esteemed United Kingdom-based University of Cambridge.
“Why didn’t the deputy minister clarify that it is the Cambridge International University until it was proven that the prestigious University of Cambridge did not offer such a programme?
“When speaking to reporters on February 5, he said he will produce proof that he has pursued the course in the university. On February 6, he changed his statement by saying he obtained his degree at the Cambridge International University of the United States instead.
“Is he aware the university is not accredited by an American agency?”
Marzuki had recanted his explanation stating his degree was from “Cambridge International University” in the United States, an institution whose reputation has been questioned.
Political activist Muhsin Abdul Latheef lodged a police report over a Facebook posting that claimed in a February 3 post that the University of Cambridge did not offer a distance-learning programme in business administration that Marzuki claims to have pursued.
Ooi said, as the deputy foreign minister, Marzuki has to set a good example for Malaysia in the eyes of the world and his actions have tarnished the country’s image.
He called on the Pakatan Harapan government to take action if Marzuki’s degree is indeed fake as he should not be fit to hold office.
“If the degree of the deputy foreign minister is fake, Pakatan Harapan should walk the talk, and practise what they preach,” said Ooi, as calls for Marzuki’s resignation intensify.
“Being a deputy minister that deals with foreign relations, it is important for him to project a positive image internationally. He must clarify and clean the image of the Malaysian government.”
