FOR most Malaysians, welcoming Chinese New Year in the past week was a busy yet amusing affair. The rakyat, though not so much our political leaders, were united in condemning the fake degree scandal which began after deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Marzuki Yahya was called out for allegedly “deceiving the people” about having a degree from the prestigious Cambridge University in England.

To make matters worse, he countered the allegations with a press statement and also produced the suspect academic transcript from Cambridge International University (CIU). The address of this unrecognised university was printed on the transcript, and a quick Google Street View search revealed that it was nothing more than a row of shops with a nail parlour.