By Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Penang on Sunday, July 5, 1993:
DAP calls for full government recognition of Taiwan medical and dental degrees which are of international repute
DAP calls for full government recognition of Taiwan medical and dental degrees which are of international repute, and not place them as equivalent to degrees of ‘unscheduled universities’ from India and other countries where the doctor or dentist had to serve two years’ housemanship and pass a medical or dental examination before they could fully practise in the country.
This is a most unfair and unacceptable discrimination and exploitation of Taiwan-trained doctors and dentists.
Fir purposes of government recognition, the Malaysian government makes a distinction between three types if Indian medical and dental degrees-firstly, those which come from universities of high international repute which are recognised in Malaysia; secondly, those from what are called ‘unscheduled universities’ which the government does not grant full recognition but allows the graduate to practise in Malaysia after serving two years of housemanship and passing a government examination; and thirdly, those degrees which the government does not recognise at all.
Kim Sai should explain why the Government could not make the same distinction for Taiwan medical and dental degrees? What is the criteria for the Government refusing to accord recognition to the Taiwan medical and dental degrees which fully recognising not only Indian medical and dental degrees, but also those form Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt.
Kim Sia had earlier explained the reason why the Malaysian government had not recognised Taiwan medical and dental degrees is because the problem of academic qualifications of educational institutions in China and Taiwan would have to be sorted out by these two countries first.
This is the first time such a reason had been given for the government’s failure to accord recognition to Taiwan degrees and qualifications. This is a baseless and groundless argument-for if this is the case, then how could the Malaysian Government give the Taiwan medical and dental degrees the status equivalent to ‘unscheduled universities’ from India and other countries?
The whole question as to whether the Taiwan medical and dental degrees should be recognised should be decided on the basis as to whether they are of international standards and repute.
The only reason why the Malaysian Government can refuse to accord full recognition to Taiwan medical and dental degrees is that the Taiwan medical and dental degrees are of very low academic standards and that they are not recognised internationally.
Is Kim Sai seriously suggesting that Taiwan medical and dental degrees are of lower international standards than those from Indonesia, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Saudi Arabia or Egypt? If this is the case, why have some Cabinet Ministers gone to Taiwan for medical treatment?