For all the talk of politics, corruption, etc., have you ever wondered just how educated are our politicians? Someone at Jeff Ooi's blog posted a comparison (http://www.jeffooi.com/2006/05/2_tongs_of_maruah_malaysia.php) of the education level of Singaporean and Malaysian ministers. Let's take a look... I've rearranged them in chronological order though. Singaporean Ministers Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew (ex. Prime Minister) Cambridge University - First Class Honours (1949) Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong (ex. Prime Minister) University of Singapore - First Class Honours (1964) Williams College, USA - Masters (1967) Minister for Law S Jayakumar University of Singapore - Bachelor of Law Honours (1963) Yale Univerity - Masters (1966) Current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Cambridge University - First Class Honours (1974) Harvard University - Masters (1980) Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean University of Manchester - First Class Honours (1976) Imperial College, London - Masters w/ Distinction (1977) Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo Cambridge University - Double First Class Honours (1976) Harvard Business School - MBA w/ Distinction (1985) Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang Cambridge University - First Class Honours w/ Distinction (1976) Harvard University - Masters (1986) Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng University of Singapore - Bachelor of Arts & Business Admin (1977) London Business School - Masters (1979) Minister for Education Tharman Shanmugaratnam London School of Economics - Bachelor of Arts Cambridge University - Masters Harvard University - Masters Okay, now for our Malaysian ministers... Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad (ex Prime Minister) King Edward VII College of Medicine, Singapore - Bachelor of Medicine (1952) Current Prime Minister Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi University of Malaya - Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Islamic Studies (1964) Minister of Defence Dato' Sri Najib Razak University of Nottingham - Bachelor of Arts Honours (1974) Minister of Foregn Affairs Syed Hamid Albar University Unknown - Bachelor of Arts Ministry of International Trade & Industry Rafidah binti Aziz Universiti Malaya - Bachelor of Arts Honours Minister of Agriculture Muhyiddin Yassin (Education Unknown) Ministry of Domestic Trade Shafie Apdal (Education Unknown) Minister of Education Hishammuddin Hussein University Of WalesAberystwyth - LL.B(Hons) London School Of Economics - LL.M(London) - Commercial & Corporate Law Minister of Home Affairs Radzi bin Sheikh Ahmad (Education Unknown) Hmm.. Isn't there a very familiar pattern?
BTW, there seems to be gaps in his post. So, if anyone has any updates on their education, please do let us know. Thanks!
In all fairness though, it's not just education that makes a good leader. It's kind of the same with teachers; all the qualifications in the world won't make up for a lack of people-management skills, charisma, experience, etc.
Well qualifications are an indication of ability but its not an absolute measure. *Me agrees with Papercut*
if i'm not wrong.. there's a taxi driver with primary sch education trying to contest for election (-_-)" good luck
Actually, I believe that education is very important. Not so much in the learning of facts, but rather in the development of thought and analysis. Take, for example, moi. Many people think we spend 5-6 years in medical school learning facts about the human body and diseases. Well, that's true to an extent. But we learn far MORE than that. For starters, we learned how to THINK, how to ANALYZE a problem, how to TALK, how to APPROACH, how to INFORM, etc. Seriously, even though I'm not practicing medicine, I'm glad I went through the training. It certainly changed my thought process and views on many things. In addition, being educated in India, I was exposed to a different world. Imagine what it was like for me to be suddenly transported from the cushy comforts of my home, with everything provided by my parents to a foreign land where I had to learn to live by my wits and common sense. I tell you - it was an experience that I will never forget. And the lessons learned are remembered forever. Even more importantly, this experience opened my eyes to new possibilities, different cultures, different thoughts. Essentially, it opened up my mind. Also, to be a little cynical, education is often a mark of intelligence. This is especially true if you are talking about degrees from well-known varsities with high standards. When someone is holding the keys to the nation, he/she had better have enough brains to manage the country properly. If you are even more cynical, education is a mark of superiority. When you meet your peers, having a better education gives you a feeling of superiority and confidence. Don't we want that in our leaders who will be dealing with their counterparts from other countries? So, is education important for our leaders? Yes, it most certainly is. No matter what they study, the more education they have, the better. Knowledge and thought are the keys to success. Incidentally, the government has been talking a lot about improving education and creating a knowledge-based economy. Won't it be hypocritical if our leaders who are talking the talk aren't walking the walk?
Actually, to be fair, that will depend on what Bush's personal agenda is. if he's got the interests of all in mind, or just the interests of a few. So depending on that, he's either a bloody big idiot, or he's a cold calculating genius. But yeah, in regards to education, got to keep in mind that IQ != EQ, of which EQ is equally as important as IQ unless you spend all your time locked up in your dungeon doing stuff that mad scientists does. Take for example, people like: - Steve Jobs (no need to explain) - Bill Gates (no need to explain) - Ronald Reagan (graduated from a small college), who's policies indirectly lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union, Not to say that educational qualifications isnt important, but it takes much more than just a Phd to be qualified for those kinda roles.
Woah... Yes, I agree that EQ is important. In fact, politicians need EQ to survive. But TBH, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates don't rate very highly in EQ. They were certainly imperious and had very intense characters. I don't think anyone would consider them as having high EQ. BTW, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard because he went there "to find intelligent people but instead found none". Bill certainly had the brains to finish university but chose instead to concentrate on Microsoft. Ronald Reagan is, frankly speaking, a very charismatic leader, thanks to his previous role as an actor. But while he has sound policies, they were certainly greatly influenced by his advisors. I don't think most historians would consider Ronald Reagan to be the chief architect of his policies. But I agree with you that you don't need a PhD to qualify as a politician. Hehe.. Still, I think it's important for our politicians to have a good education. Don't you think so? As education is a KEY aspect of any nation's future, it would make sense to have an educated person in charge of it, rather than one with only a high school degree. What's frightening is really not the lack of education... as in learning of facts and figures, but rather the shallowness of thought in our politicians. Seriously, while politicians in other countries are debating about terrorism, the environment, resources, etc., our politicians are making noise about couples kissing in public, and how widowers are horny and need to be counselled. Incidentally, some aspects MUST be dealt with by qualified people.. or at least people who know what they are talking about. Would you want anyone but a doctor to be in charge of the Health Ministry? Seriously, who knows the business better than a doctor? Look at the mess Chua Jui Meng created when he was the Health Minister. What does a lawyer know about medicine?? What about the Ministry of Finance. Wouldn't someone with business acumen be suitable? Or should we just give it to those with illustrious names?
hahahah Actually i have alot to talk about this topic but ...suddently dont know what to type lol ... well basically i have the same point of view as adrain . Put the right person on the right post , definately important.
I do agree that education is important, but my main point is in that it takes more than just that. As in, dont just look from the education aspect when deciding, for all you know, somebody who holds a Masters may be more suitable than somebody else holding a Phd, depending on what is the role of the position. You have a point in regards to a lawyer in charge of the Health Ministry, but I'm looking at one step beyond that. When looking at who to put in charge of the Health Ministry, yes, its important that the person understands the area well, but it is also important that the person is capable of doing administrative work. Thus, even a Nobel prize winner may not be a good candidate, if their primary interest is in their areas of research, and not in administration.
One thing I thought that was pretty funny a few years back was President Bush talking about sovereign nations and he was asked about what sovereign meant to him. In response, he said sovereign nations meant they were sovereign, that they were granted sovereignty, etc. I thought it was hilarious. Just yesterday I saw him via the Late Show with David Letterman saying Triple Double pounder with cheese...lmao. How smart are they? Smart enough to not get us into a nuclear war...yet.
I think education is a factor but it doesn't mean everything in politics. A person who is good behind the books doesn't mean that he can walk the walk and talk the talk. Besides, I have seen some people who gets into foreign universities out of sheer wealthy background and not because they are that intelligent. I personally don't think one can be judged by education level alone. Also there so many secondary-educated people in our country like those of mere taxi drivers and average-income labors, they have more sense than those who actually made it in politics yet making stupid remarks like coupld should not kiss in public and divorcees are sluts. These MPs make our parliament meetings a big joke to the rest of the world. Even the locals knows we have idiots running the country. But then again back to topic, politics is not something that you can just study on books, it takes lots more than an impressive education background to run a country.
IMO, education is an important criteria. Like someone said before, education is also part of being disciplined. And you definitely can't pay to get into top Us like Cambridge and Harvard and most definitely can't PAY to get first class honours. Look at the trend here in Malaysia, stupid ministers, stupid decisions, literally.
Err.. I think the guy who posted the comparison couldn't find anything about their education. So, if you can find anything, please do let us know.
I agree with you that it takes more than just education to be a leader. But I'm sure you will all agree there should be a MINIMUM quantum of education. These days, a degree of any sort is no longer a rarity. In fact, it's ABSOLUTELY a minimum for anyone who wants to get anywhere. And frankly speaking, standards have dropped a lot since the old days. Graduates and their degrees are being punched out like tickets at the movies. This is especially true for local degrees. I have no desire to put down local graduates, but I do personally know just how low the standard is these days. But it's not the fault of the students, it's plain stupid government policy. Still, the fact of the matter is, having a local degree doesn't mean you are well educated. Maybe that's the problem we have with our politicians. They certainly do not have the knowledge or the open mind we see in politicians from other countries. Err.. Ministers should NOT be doing administrative work. The government certainly has enough administrators to handle the load. Ministers are supposed to formulate policies and make sure they are carried out. That's why it's important they KNOW what they are talking about. What kind of policies do you expect if you appoint a doctor to handle the foreign policy?
I hope he stays smart enough to avoid a nuclear war until he leaves! BTW, doesn't he pronounce nuclear as "nukulear" or something? I thought I saw it on Letterman.
Haha.. Exactly why I mean our politicians need MORE education. Evidently, their current level of education isn't good enough. They were evidently not exposed to other cultures. They are like a tortoise hiding under its shell. No matter what we may think about Dr. Mahathir and his policies, he's certainly very intelligent and incisive. He even has the courage and conviction to stand up against his counterparts from more developed nations. I'm pretty sure his exposure and education had something to do with it.
