Academics may not be best choice, leaders tell Maszlee

Some politicians have shot down the suggestion by former education minister Maszlee Malik that academics should be appointed to the cabinet posts of education and higher education ministers after the 16th general election.

Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi, in a Facebook post today, said academics may not be the best choice to lead those ministries.

“If someone is an academic but has no political will, then their appointment would be useless. The important thing is ideas and commitment,” Puad said.

The Umno man then took jabs at Maszlee (above), who was once a lecturer at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), and former finance minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who was a former banker.

“There are non-political people such as academics and bankers who are more interested in playing politics when they become ministers,” he said.

Nevertheless, he expressed hope that newly minted Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek would quickly learn the ropes in her ministry.

Puad also called for larger allocations for rural schools, especially in East Malaysia, ahead of Budget 2023, which is set to be tabled on Feb 24.

Yesterday, Maszlee urged Pakatan Harapan to appoint academicians to become education and higher education ministers if it retains Putrajaya after the next general election.

The measure, the academic-turned-politician added, could help prevent the academic space from being “violated and defiled” by politicians.

Capable leadership

Meanwhile, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy echoed Puad’s views, saying that academics do not necessarily make better ministers, especially in taking charge of the education and higher education ministries.

“Maszlee might have a point in a general sense by saying that academics should be considered for posts as they have an academic leaning though not exclusively,” he said.

However, unlike Puad, he said he would not rule out the possible contribution of academics.

“On the same token, it cannot be taken for granted that non-academics or politicians will do a better job in heading the education ministries, whether lower or higher education ministries,” he said, noting Maszlee’s own former stint as education minister in the first Harapan government.

“I am not sure why he was removed by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the first place. Perhaps it had nothing to do with the fact that he was an academic.

“It could have been mere coincidence,” he added.

Ramasamy also said that Puad is right in outlining some basic qualities a minister should possess.

This includes having political will, understanding the challenges of education, and implementing reforms to ensure that the “domain of education is in tandem with the progress of the nation”.

“You don’t need an academic to understand the needs of education, all you need is a capable person with zeal and leadership qualities. They could come from many areas of specialisation.

“There are some excellent academics produced by our local universities, but they are few and far between.

“The majority of them tend not to rock the boat to ensure they benefit from the system in terms of promotion and perks.

“At the end of the day, it is not where you come from, from the academic or non-academic world, but whether you have the leadership and the political will to transform the educational system to reflect the changing demands of the country,” said Ramasamy.

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