LETTER | I think the grading of Bersih with the letter D has neither meaning nor merit for Malaysians to consider.

As an academic in architecture, I was once an undergraduate student of architecture, a graduate student of architecture and a doctorate (PhD) in architecture.

Therefore, as an academic in architecture, I can assess students at the undergraduate, master and PhD levels because I once went through the same thing.

I can therefore look at the student’s work and feel the difficulty and struggle of the design or of the thesis in order to give a fair grading.

In architecture education, grading also goes through a moderation exercise where other architecture practitioners and other academics also give their grading from their experiences studying and practising architecture.

All these experiences of both learning architecture, practising architecture and teaching architecture allow the grading to be fairer.

Not a political entity

In contrast, Bersih is not a political entity, none of the members are from the political entities of party politics. None are also members of the administrative government. They do not have the right or the integrity to award grades to the Pakatan Harapan, the coalition government or the prime minister.

When did the Bersih leadership become the PM? When did Bersih win any election? When did Bersih manage a constituency of multi-racial challenges?

If Bersih were to grade, I would accept grading from experienced former MPs and government servants of integrity. Did they do that?

Did they just sit down comfortably while passing judgment on people doing jobs they themselves have not one iota of experience?

The grading exercise is an insult to academic fairness or even the social and political framework of practices. I, who have been writing for 20 years and have witnessed and participated with reformasi from its volatile beginnings, were never asked or consulted with the grading.

Why was I not asked?

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