Treacherous attitude, obsession among reasons for UPSR leak - Perkasa

Treacherous attitude, lack of transparency, irresponsibility, wage factor and corruption are among the bones of contention that led to the leak of the UPSR question papers.

Expressing regret on the incident, Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) said it could also be due to some being "too obsessed with upholding performance and reputation".

"This has happened numerous times in our country. The question is, why does it still occur? What are the efforts undertaken by the Education Ministry all these while to thwart this problem?" said its vice president Syed Osman Mansor in a statement today.

He said integrity was supposed to be part of the civil servants' culture but it seemed to be non-existent; the SOP that was incorporated no longer holds any value.

"The national education system is to be upheld and preserved by all. Any shortcomings or malpractices will impact negatively, not just to educators but the government as well," said Syed Osman, who is also Perkasa's Monitoring and Integrity Bureau president.

He also expressed sympathy towards the parents, teachers and pupils who might suffer emotional stress upon realising that they have to retake the paper after months of preparation.

Syed Osman also did not deny the possibility of a sabotage, to tarnish the good name of the Education Ministry and government.

"Perkasa hopes a thorough investigation will be carried out by the police to catch the culprits of this shameful act. They must be brought to justice.

"Heavy sentences must be imposed tso that it'll be a lesson to everyone," he said.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had instructed the police to probe the UPSR leaks and expose those responsible for this sham.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, had said the leaks could have been intentionally perpetrated to sabotage him and the ministry.