Public scrutiny grows over Perdana fellow’s questionable credentials

Netizens cast doubt on Muhammad Azhar's listed achievements, claiming information about them unverifiable

By
Adam Ayzzat
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Concerns arise over Muhammad Azhar's major in Electronics and Communications Engineering, which some claim is not offered at Universiti Malaya. – @tzafrul_aziz Twitter screenshot, September 13, 2023

KUALA LUMPUR – A Perdana Fellowship participant placed under the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) is currently in the spotlight among netizens due to several apparent inconsistencies with his credentials.

Between congratulatory comments, Universiti Malaya (UM) graduate Muhammad Azhar has been the subject of public scrutiny due to contradictory details in his education and achievements prior to his fellowship.

Several netizens alleged that while UM does offer a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (BEE), it does not offer a major in Electronics and Communications Engineering, which he majored in. 

Azhar’s listed achievements also raised eyebrows, as they either rang false or information regarding them could not be confirmed.

Based on the infographic posted by International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Azhar obtained a runner-up place in Microsoft’s Imagine Cup in 2021.

An X (formerly Twitter) user who goes by @arfdy12, however, said that the champion that year was a group from Kenya, while the teams that made it to the final round were from Thailand, New Zealand, and the United States (US).

Citing an article found on Microsoft’s official website, he added that the only three other Asian teams to qualify in the cup’s top 12 were China, India, and Nepal.

The same user also disputed Azhar’s champion title in the WorldQuant Brain 2022 Global Alphathon, as the four named winning teams appeared to be from universities in Vietnam, South Korea, and China.

Meanwhile, initial searches on the Bank Negara website for the Bank Negara Fiscal Policy Summit in 2021 yielded no results.

Checks by Scoop on Azhar’s LinkedIn profile also found that he started a full-time position as a general manager at Bina Bakat Bhd in August, around the same time he commenced his Perdana Fellowship in Miti.

Based on Bina Bakat’s LinkedIn page, the company is a non-governmental organisation founded in 2022 that provides interactive and accessible platforms for individuals to learn about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to sustainability.

It also appeared that the company was not listed on Bursa Malaysia as of March this year.

However, according to the Perdana Fellowship’s FAQs issued by the Youth and Sports Ministry, employed applicants must resign from their jobs or opt for unpaid leave before joining the programme.

It added that a letter of confirmation must be attached by the applicants when applying. 

Scoop has reached out to the Youth and Sports Ministry for further clarification and is awaiting a response.

Been there, done that?

Apparently, this is not the first time Azhar has been in the spotlight for having discrepancies in his milestones, as the debate came after netizens dug up a past incident of his.

In 2020, various media sites reported Azhar’s appointment as a citizen scientist by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) after scoring a top post in a competition organised by the agency.

Numerous figures, including the then-prime minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, congratulated Azhar when the good news was shared on social media.

However, Says reported that Azhar’s achievement did not “add up”, as his profile was not found on Nasa’s official website, and the “overall grading score” he posted had several grammatical errors.

As Azhar was given a title for scoring the top 1% among 3,623,982 participants, Says also questioned whether the other 36,238 hopefuls were rewarded similarly. 

Other calls into question included Azhar’s eligibility to participate in Nasa’s competition, as only US citizens or legal permanent residents were permitted to join.

Azhar said the scholarship was an “affliction” with the National University of Singapore, but the university later denied giving him an offer of admission.

Subsequently, Azhar said that he was a potential victim of a cyber scam and that his appointment by Nasa was erroneous. – September 13, 2023

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