The Star featured, On its front page today, a story on fake PhD’s. This has been going on for years.
I remember some 10 years ago when a colleague resigned to pick up more paper qualifications. We teased him if he was going to this particular university, something like Pacific Western or Western Pacific… This you see, was one of those institutions, where for a fee, you can be given a PhD based on “work experience” alone.
It was rumoured that a number of “corporate leaders” in KL took this route to “recognition”. Privately, I’m sure many laughed at their being so crass.
I think our society’s precccupation with paper qualifications, and “place in society” is simply laughable.
I think just as many “corporate leaders” or “community leaders” are given honorary PhD’s but use them freely, without attaching the parenthesis to tell the world these are honorary degrees. No honour at all… They even demand to be addressed as Dr So And So.
I personally worked for one once. He has international businesses, and because the Tan Sri title is not so recognised overseas, employees of these foreign businesses were told to address him as Dr So And So. It didnt matter that he wasnt one and should not be so addressed. He was after all, a businessman of immense, even legendary reputation in KL and must, come what may, be addressed in a distinguished manner. Dr So And So it was then, as opposed to plain old Mr. So And So.
Crass? Shivers.
“So, I commend the enjoyment of life.” (From the Bible – really. Eccl 8:15)
Ante 