ISO is not for people - Harapan Daily

DAP Selangor treasurer Ong Kian Ming said the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) is not meant for people but for organisations and products.

“ISO 1400-2015 is actually certification for the Environmental Management System.

“So I mean it’s a good ISO, like all ISO there is a certain standard you have to fulfil but it’s certainly not a qualification for a candidate.

“So I mean I laugh at this because it sounds so ludicrous,” he said in his YouTube podcast named Are We OK.

The podcast is tilted Singapore Teacher to M’sia, Egg Prices Drop, Candidates’ Education Qualifications, BRICS.

He was referring to the report where Pas deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man mentioned that the PN candidate for Sungai Bakap by-election Abidin Ismail has the qualification of ISO 1400-2015.

Education qualifications are not necessary

He also said it is not necessary for MPs with the potential to become deputy minister, minister, or chairman of different stat boards to have gone through tertiary education.

“So having a tertiary education is not something that you know you need to have but you give me a much higher comfort level, that you are at least able to understand certain complicated policy issues if you have a degree,” he said.

“Yes provided and also the person and also the process that you go through whichever academic environment was also rigorous enough,” he added.

He also said that some people would prefer those with the potential to become ministers to have gone through certain tertiary exposure in public or private universities and not from religious education ecosystems.

Ong pointed out that Pas is struggling to put forth a professional candidate since it has a large pool of people with religious backgrounds instead of people who have experience in public policy making.

He also said that having some exposure to and knowledge of how the law works is crucial. This is why many MPs come from a legal background—when debating bills, it’s essential to understand legislative language, how legislation is translated into regulations, and related processes, he added.

“So you may not necessarily be a lawyer but having the ability to know how bills work, understand how bills are actualized and implemented, I think that’s also another important skill set that a lawmaker has to have,” he said.

He said some of his former colleagues who are MPs and assemblymen have taken up training and courses in subjects such as artificial intelligence (Al), economics, environmental, social and governance (ESG) and technology.