Flashback to 17 May 2005. An item in the International Herald Tribune. The report is well worth revisiting!
Reuters report on the Permatang Pauh by-election.
AH SO... ARIF SHAH ALMOST GOT HIS DOCTORATE FROM THE EDISION UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY...
Arif drops out of 'bogus' PhD study
Kuek Ser Kuang Keng & Wong Teck Chi | Malaysiakini | Aug 22, 08 10:51am
Barisan Nasional Permatang Pauh candidate Arif Shah Omar Shah has stopped pursuing his PhD degree after questions were raised over his academic credentials.
“The PhD is not recognised, so I have quit. I am finding a paper that is recognised,” he told Malaysiakini when met at the sidelines of his election campaign on Tuesday.
He was asked to respond to questions raised on the Internet, asking how he could pursue a doctorate degree when he possessed only a diploma and no other intermediating qualification.
An English daily had carried a profile of Arif Shah’s educational background, reporting that he was a diploma holder in civil engineering and currently pursuing a PhD at the ‘Edison University of Technology (off-campus programme).'
The report sparked debate among bloggers who could not verify his academic credentials as they could not find his university name on the Internet.
The 52-year-old Seberang Jaya state assemblyperson clarified the university should be ‘Edision University of Technology’, a university registered in the British Virgin Islands offering distance learning courses.
Registered in British Virgin Islands
After checking the Internet and a local industry expert, Malaysiakini found the university has been accused of being a bogus diploma mill.
The local expert, who asked for anonymity, pointed out that the address of the university’s international distance learning centre is shared by hundreds of other companies.
It is believed the address belongs to a company secretary.
[Read the rest here. "Bagus/Bogus" graphics from Zorro Unmasked.]
GOOD REASONS FOR NOT VOTING ARIF SHAHFrom MarGeeMar (22 August 2008)
MALAYSIAKINI reported that PERMATANG PAUH by election candidate from BN, Arif Shah Omar Shah has stopped pursuing his PhD degree after questions were raised over his academic credentials.
The big question here is if Arif still continued to pursue this bogus Phd. up till April 21, when did he stop then? Did he decide to stop because of the heat coming from Bloggers? First and foremost, how can someone with just a Diploma go on and pursue a Phd. The so-called International Distance Learning Centre of Edision University of Technology is a mailbox office:
International Distance Learning Centre
2nd Floor, 145-157, St. John Street
London EC1V 4PY, UK. / Tel:0845-8790040
If you do a Google search on the above address, you will find hundreds of companies using the same mailbox address.
This clearly proves that it is a Bogus University.
Edision University of Technology is accredited by WORLD ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES (WAUC). The WAUC is global accreditation association founded to establish and promote global standards in higher education among colleges and universities worldwide."
The "accreditor," WAUC, is owned by Dr. Maxine Klein Asher. (Her own degrees are real.) She also owns American World University, which, according to Wikipedia, sells degrees.
You can also find some "ripoff report" articles if you Google her name or WAUC. With just US$1,699 anyone can register a business entity in the British Virgin Islands under the name of university.
Two things bother me about this guy Arif Shah: one, if he knew the PhD from Edision was bogus but yet continued to pursue it, he must be a person of the lowest level of integrity who would be willing to deceive the Rakyat (People) with his phony Phd. If Arif Shah got into the PhD program without checking the University's background (remember, you have to pay a lot of money to get a PhD), then, he must be the biggest oxymoron around. In other words, he is not fit for public office, i.e. State Assemblyman or Member of Parliament.
However, The Scribe has other reasons why Arif Shah should never be voted in as Permatang Pauh MP let alone be the Seberang Jaya Assemblyman for the following reasons:
1. He was the most notable Indian Muslim who claimed himself Malay and participated in the illegal protest at Komtar against YAB Lim Guan Eng and the newly installed Pakatan Rakyat State Government in support of Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy). A man who forgets his origin just because of his religion, calling himself another can never impress me and any right minded person. The Permatang Pauh Indians need to take note of this.
2. The BN had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to put up Arif Shah as the BN candidate because Arif Shah is the ‘least-hated’ of the five warlords of Umno Permatang Pauh so they hope that with him as the candidate this would reduce the possibility of internal sabotage. Never before had Umno needed to have an Assemblyman to stand for elections as an MP as well.
3. Arif Shah is the brother of Tan Sri Amin Shah Omar Shah who is in now in self-imposed exile in the UK. He shuttles between London and Dubai but would never dare come close to Malaysia because there are criminal breaches of trust (CBT) allegations he may have to answer to. Amin Shah’s company, PSC Industries Berhad, was awarded more than RM24 billion in naval contracts around 1998 at the time Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was already the Defence Minister. The government paid him billions in upfront money but Amin Shah’s company never fulfilled its side of the bargain. Billions of Ringgit of Malaysian taxpayers’ money went down the drain in the biggest fraud in Malaysian history. Amin Shah’s brother, Azlan Shah Omar Shah, was the Managing Director of the company.This guy (Arif Shah) is obviously lying when he says that he did not know his university is a bogus one. If he can lie about this, can you believe him when he says that he has no interests in his corrupt brother's business? In other mature democracies, Arif Shah would not even be considered as a candidate.4. Arif Shah was the Indian Muslim Malay wannabe who made the call as Seberang Jaya state assemblyman to rename George Town “Bandar Datuk Abdullah Fahim”.
5. The BN controlled MSM keeps on spinning that Arif speaks Mandarin and Hokkien and can read and write in Chinese as well. I hope the Permatang Pauh Chinese will remember that this same Arif Shah marched to Komtar with the rest of the Umno racists chanting "Ketuanan Melayu" with the perceived fear that the Chinese have taken over the State. Do you want this racist as your MP? Don't fall for the pictures of Arif Shah reading Chinese newspaper and speaking in Chinese in the local BN controlled MSM.
6. Arif Shah joined the rest of his racist pals from Umno to pressure the Federal Government to scrap all Mega Projects in Penang as punishment to Penangites for voting Pakatan Rakyat. Do we need to add another Umno racist who punishes Penangites to Parliament.
This Scribe hopes that whoever reads this will print and pass this blog posting around. This Scribe gives consent to fellow Bloggers to reproduce this Blog Posting in their own Blogs. If possible, share this by word of mouth with those who have no access to the Internet. Let's expose Arif Shah for what he really is!
Which ever way, all Malaysian Brothers, whatever they are going to say now, even if they reduce the price of petrol to $1.50, abolish income tax, free education, open up UiTM and all that is hogging the lime light, I have this to tell you as I am not involved in this election nor was I in the past few …… ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
ReplyDeleteMr Khairy, you may sound very convincing and look like an angel with all your talks … having worked and known politicians from both sides, including PAS, DAP, I am amused and think you are really thick skin. Yes you can resign from UMNO Youth, who would not do it after all this maybe UMNO’s death. If UMNO is not buried this time, I am very sure they will be buried and all members buried alive in a landslide the next GE.
But Mr Khairy, does it matter to you, I have since labeled you as a VIP Begger and knowing in Sarawak, there is money to be made, you are eyeing the goodies here.
Let me know when you come, I am sure, I will pelt rotten eggs at you as your company cause me to lose and cheated me of RM60.00 for collecting service charge that was not delivered!!!
I wait for you and please be a gentlement and announce your visit to Kuching.
At the end of the day, I tell you and all Malaysians this:
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH AND WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE AND MAYBE ALL TO GAIN BY THROWING OUT BARISAN NASIONAL STARTING WITH PERMATANG PAUH.
WE HAVE TRUSTED BN FOR 50 YEARS AND FOR MY CASE, EVER SINCE I STARTED WORK 30 YEARS AGO.
BUT, WE DO NOT SEEM TO MOVE FORWARD AND THIS MEANS WE HAVE GAMBLED AWAY THE BETTER PART OF OUR LIVE WITH BN. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, WE SEEM TO BE MOVING BACKWARDS AND WITH RECENT INFLATION, THIS IN ITSELF IS ALREADY THE INDICATOR THAT WE ARE NOT PROGRESSING WITH SHRINKING DOLLAR IN OUR POCKET AND QUALITY OF LIVE BEING AFFECTED AS WELL.
So fellow Malaysians, do not believe them any more, trust what I am telling you now, I rather gamble with a convict who have serve his time and realise and now know what is good than this bunch of Politicians in our government who are spoon fed or from poor backgrounds out to be a millionaire overnight at our expense.
VOTE DATUK SERI ANWAR NOW IS MY CALL AND THROW OUT BN. IF YOU ARE FROM PENANG, YOU WILL ALSO KNOW WHERE THE BN CANDICATE GOT HIS MONEY FROM. IF HE CAN TALK ABOUT HIS PHD FROM A BOGUS UNIVERSITY, AND RETRACT IT, THIS ALREADY SPEAKS VOLUMNE OF HIS INTERGRITY.
Ask any human resource lecturer or anyone involved in Human Resource Counselling or a person incharge of hiring and interviewing prospective employee, they are very sure a an important thing they are always on the look out would be “Past Behaviour”. This is very important as “Old Habits die hard, especially in telling white lies”
So with the recent lie dished out by Pek Mo in this by election, I am very sure he will lie and forever continue to lie (afterall, he have done it thinking we are all stupid and will do it again thinking we will not know).
I wish I can change my voting right to Permatang Pauh and give my one vote to Perkatan Rakyat and get my friends in Penang to do so, afterall, we have seen so many manipulations and billions of dollars flow in to cronies account in the past!!!
Once again, go for a gamble, vote Pakatan Rakyat and ask your family members, friends to do it …. even educated government servants in Sarawak are asking after the last price increase … “Do you still want or dare vote for Barisan”???
And with recent events affecting us … I am asking by friends and fellow Malaysian Brothers do you still want to vote for Barisan Nasional and suffer again.
GO FOR IT, DO IT FOR YOUR CHILDREN, YOUR FUTURE GENERATIONS PUT DATUK SERI ANWAR IN PARLIAMENT AND SEE WHAT HE DO FOR 5 YEARS, AFTERWALL WE HAVE SEEN AND SUFFERED FOR 50 YEARS. HOW MANY MALAYS HAVE LIVE ABOVE POVERTY LEVEL IN THIS 50 YEARS? 15% IS MY GUESS???
Anger can be very healthy when transmuted into transformational political action. Good on you, friend! :-)
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