Tutu Faleni
The resignation of Pallo Jordan from parliament should come as a sigh of relief for those who believe that public representatives should at all possible times adhere to the basic principles of integrity. The prevailing view here would be that by misleading the public about his qualifications, Pallo Jordan has failed the test of integrity.
Pallo should be applauded that even during the moment of his personal humiliation, he choose to do the honourable thing by resigning from parliament. It is common public knowledge that some members of parliament have committed far more serious acts of fraud and corruption than lying about their qualifications yet they have refused to resign in spite of public outcry.
As you would have it in life, Pallo's enemies would rejoice and celebrate his fall from glory and those who held him in high esteem would sympathise with his shame. But maybe the focus should be on the corruption and fraud that takes place at academic institutions. University graduates generally get rewarded with well paying jobs by virtue of having acquired specialised knowledge and skills in their respective fields of study. Some of these graduates acquired their degrees through fraud, lies and deceit.
In my previous positions as a university lecturer, l have come across students who have copied assignments and projects and then submit them for marks as though it is their original work. Universities have a respectable term for such fraudulent acts - they call it plagiarism. Some go to the extent of benefiting from marks for academic pieces of work that were done by others. The most appalling one is when a student pays someone else for doing an assignment. The advent of online technology has made it possible for students to copy, cut and paste, and falsify information without being caught. You may say that this is nothing compared to claiming that one has a degree knowing full well that one was never awarded such a qualification, or worse presenting yourself as a doctor without having acquired such a qualification. Universities should at all times take strong action against students who commit fraudulent acts of all sorts to get marks, promotion or a degree.
If found guilty of fraud and corruption, students should have their bursaries removed. Society cannot pay the fees for those students who besides studying for degrees, are also learning to perfect the art of fraud and corruption. It is the very same students who in no time after graduation will be providing services to the public. They must therefore also be taught whilst at university that society will not turn a blind eye to the soft crimes of cheating, fraud, falsification, lies and all sorts of misdemeanours to get marks and degrees. It must hit them where it hurts most, in the pocket.
University lecturers cannot be innocent of the fraud, cheating and corruption that happens under their noses. In fact some of these teachers become active partners in the crimes of various mutations of plagiarism. Some lecturers, desperate for promotion, have gone out of their way to write dissertations or doctoral theses for their students. University promotion systems, which among other things require lecturers to supervise postgraduate students, are open to all forms of abuse. Incompetent post graduate students get 'assisted' by their lecturers so that the lecturers could gain the rank of Senior Lecturer and eventually earn the the coveted title of professor. Some female students who happen to go the extra mile of going between the sheets with the lecturer, get the rare privilege of their thesis/dissetations written on their behalf whilst they know little about the subject matter of their doctoral degree.
The desperation to get accredited articles published in journals has further fuelled the drive to copy, manipulate and concoct other people’s already published work. All tricks which border on fraud are used to get as many articles as possible published so as to obtain the hard-to-get senior academic positions. For example, how do you justify a situation where the lecturers submit articles to themselves so as to approve them for publication? The principle of fair assessment of articles submitted for possible publication is further compromised by the very composition of the panel that approves articles. It's like attending a job interview where your family members will be conducting the interview!
The Freedom Front has called upon the parliament to put in place measures aimed at verifying the qualifications and titles presented by members of parliament. This should not at all be the responsibility of parliament. Political parties should themselves verify the credentials of their own candidates before they take the oath of office.
The ANC Youth League has made an outrageous plea that universities in South Africa should confer honorary doctorate degrees on Pallo Jordan. Maybe the ANC should include in the curriculum for their political school the role of the universities so that universities are not faced with uncomfortable requests of arbitrarily conferring honorary doctorate degrees.
In days to come, Mr Pallo Jordan will pack his bags and depart from the corridors of power. He will cast a sad figure of a good soldier who has been discharged from the duty that was the only thing he ever lived for. The cruel, self-righteous world will laugh at him.
But those of us who appreciated the depth of intellect that Pallo demonstrated know that the theatrical stage of South African politics has lost an actor who brought critical analysis to politics of the day without fear or favour. Pallo's error of judgment was to allow the public to adress him in borrowed robes.
Many promising actors on the South African political stage have succumbed to all sorts of pressures and are now eating from the hand of the master, which is the ANC. They have lost that independent thinking that characerised Pallo's political narratives. Such independence of thought is crucial in engaging in political discourse for the good of our emerging democracy.
Dr Faleni (PhD) is a former Professor Extraordinary at the North West University, former lecturer at the Potchefstroom and Vaal campuses of the North West University and currently Democratic Alliance Member of the Provincial Legislature in the North West Province.