Parliamentary Roundtable (4) conferees on CSMU controversy to ask for meeting with Health Minister in view of the many contradictions and doubts in the  government’s various explanations on the derecognition of CSMU medical degrees
 

Media Conference Statement (1)
by Lim Kit Siang  

(Petaling Jaya, Friday): The Parliamentary Roundtable (4) conferees on the Crimea State Medical University (CSMU) controversy held in Parliament last Sunday will ask for a meeting with the Health Minister, Datuk Chua Soi Lek in view of the many contradictions  and doubts in  the government’s various explanations on the derecognition of the CSMU medical degrees.

Chua said at the Parliament lobby yesterday after answering my supplementary question on the issue that the derecognition decision was final and that appeals from the CSMU over its derecognition by the Malaysian Medical Council will not be entertained.

Chua said:  “This is because ample time has been given and, despite the publicity generated in the last two weeks, there has been no reply from CSMU”.

Chua’s statement slamming the door shut for any appeal by CSMU against derecognition of its medical degrees by the MMC is most unfortunate and unfair  for three reasons:

• In slamming the door shut for any appeal by CSMU, it reinforces the impression  that there were other considerations apart from the academic one which are  at play in the derecognition of the CSMU medical degrees four years after its recognition in 2001;

• Continuing unfairness and injustice in the government handling of the CSMU derecognition issue, in refusing to allow the CSMU to submit a proper appeal.

• Runs counter to earlier assurances by the MMC that CSMU has the right to appeal against derecognition.

The MMC had acted unfairly in not giving  CSMU clear notice that its medical degrees were under review for derecognition, as well as in not giving a grace period to CSMU to comply with the MMC requirements before the derecognition comes into effect, in the same way that the University of Malaya was given a  five-year notice before its MBBS degrees were withdrawn by the United Kingdom General Medical Council.

This  lack of fair play and justice should not be further compounded by slamming shut the door for appeal by the CSMU, which must be decided on the merits of the appeal and not by pique or any unrelated preconceived notion.

Is there any valid reason why CSMU had not submitted an appeal to the MMC in the past two weeks despite the publicity over the issue?  I would think so.  CSMU  has said that it has not been informed officially of the MMC decision to withdraw recognition of its medical degrees, and in the circumstances, how could MMC submit an appeal against something which it has not been officially informed?

Chua was wrong advised when he said that CSMU had not responded to MMC letters and queries, as I have seen the correspondence between the two bodies following the MMC letter dated Nov. 7, 2004 raising parental complaints about sudden increase in hotel fees, cramming five students in a hostel room when it was  meant for three and an allegation that Malaysian students have to pay a commission to certain professor in order to pass.

Whether the MMC was satisfied with the CSMU’s reply  is another matter, but it cannot be said that CSMU had not responded to MMC.

Similarly, the MMC sent an email to CSMU on 25^th June 2005 asking for an “immediate response” on the number and ethnic breakdown of CSMU medical and pre-medical students, which CSMU responded with dispatch, which was acknowledged by MMC in another email dated 29^th June 2005 asking for more particulars, such as the number of Malaysian students according to their academic years and the total number of foreign students in CSMU.

I am prepared to stand corrected, but as far as I know, MMC has not sent any letter, fax or email to CSMU officially conveying its decision on the  derecognition of its medical degrees.  Why is this so?

Be that as it may, it is clear that Chua had been wrongly advised when he said that CSMU had not bothered to respond to  the various correspondence sent by MMC.

(01/07/2005)