VIDEO | 1.26 min

Two cabinet ministers have “fake” degrees, DAP’s Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming has alleged.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference outside the Dewan Rakyat today, Ong said that the two ministers have degrees from degree mill universities in Preston and Wyoming, both in the United States.

NONE“Therefore, to entrust two ministers with serious responsibilities on human capital development is most ironic for a prime minister who has made transformation as his clarion call,” he said.

Ong (right) said that it is "disappointing" that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has appointed two Ministers with two "dodgy" degrees each from institutions which are alleged "degree mills".

According to Ong, one minister holds a Bachelor's Degree from Chartered Institute of Business Administration (Ireland), Teoranta and a Masters in Business Administration in Preston University.

"Not only could we not find any website belonging to Chartered Institute of Business Administration (Ireland), Preston University is a well-known bogus university," he claimed.

The other minister, he claimed, holds a Doctor in Business Administration from the Golden State University in Wyoming.

'Unauthorised schools, invalid degrees'

Ong claimed that second minister had obtained his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Commonwealth Open University which is based in the British Virgin Islands.

"Both of these institutions are listed down as unauthorised schools and invalid degrees by the state governments of Oregon and Maine in the United States," he said.

Ong said that the both these ministers must immediately be asked to resign by Najib in order to protect the "integrity and credibility" of Najib's cabinet.

NONEIn an immediate reaction, Human Resources Minister Richard Riot (left) - one of those named by Ong as being a minister with a 'fake' degree - has refuted the allegations by the DAP parliamentarian.

"As a responsible minister, I am duty bound to explain. I strongly rebut this statement," he said at a press conference in the parliament lobby.

He added that he had acquired his degrees from the University of Hertfordshire, London, and not where Ong had claimed.

Viewing the allegation as "serious" and "defamatory", Richard noted that as the statement was made outside of Dewan Rakyat, he is instructing his lawyers to look into the matter.

Asked if he is going to sue Ong, Richard only said that he is "leaving it to my lawyers".

Malaysiakini is withholding the name of the other minister pending their reply regarding the allegation.

Additional reporting by Hazlan Zakaria


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