COMMENT | Columnist Julia Yeow summarised it pretty well: A degree may not define a man, but lying about it does.

Malaysiakini journalist Zikri Kamarulzaman meanwhile was one of the first to comment on this controversy, making an eloquent argument as to why having integrity is better than having a 'degree'.

It does raise eyebrows a little bit, this apparent obsession we have about degrees and titles that leads us to go so far as to fake them.

This may also behind the phenomena where Malaysians add fake Datuk, Datuk Seri, and Tan Sri prefixes to their names on their business cards.

I suppose psychologically speaking, it must boil down to some level of personal insecurity, coupled with a proclivity to pursue shortcuts towards recognition and ‘glamour’...