Did you now ... ?

DID YOU KNOW that one technically does not have to have any academic qualification in order to be the Prime Minister of Malaysia? Well, this is in response to the report in the Star :– (“Want to be an exco member? Get a degree first” - Sunday Star 21 October 2007) and a subsequent reply :– (“Graduate leaders can make a difference” – Views, The Star 22 October 2007).

In our new found quest to create scholarly adroit leaders, perhaps it is wise to step back to discern a few basics. Article 47 of the supreme law of the land, the Federal Constitution, provides that for one to qualify as a Member of Parliament, that person must not be less than 21 years old. Now, this means that there are no academic qualification imposed to be a MP. Then, Article 43 (2) (a) provides that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall appoint as Prime Minister who in his judgement is likely to command the confidence of the majority. Therefore, we have a Constitution that can allow a well-favoured MP without erudition to qualify to be appointed as the PM.

Perhaps, to take a lead to create intellectual graduate leaders of the future, we should consider amending our supreme law to set things rolling. We can draw inspiration from the Federal Constitution of our neighbouring Thailand; which provides that a Minister must graduate with not lower than a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent (Section 206 of the Thai Constitution).