RECENTLY some academic in Malaysia, who was terminated months ago by their university for, among other things, threatening the university’s academic integrity, has made social media news for embarrassing reasons.
This is about some World Philosophical Forum (WPF) award.
The WPF is a private NGO, created in 2009. It has borrowed UNESCO’s name, and as far as I know, UNESCO has not formally admitted WPF in official partnership. To be sure, just ask the Malaysian National Commission for UNESCO whether WPF is allowed to use UNESCO’s name.
WPF’s attempt to link itself with UNESCO is a desperate one, in search of global institutional recognition. Here is another example of the length’s academics, many of whom lack integrity, would go to, to be recognised as competent, credible scholars, and in the process prove the complete opposite. Many of these types walk the streets of Malaysia.
It is academic dishonesty, plain and simple; the use of such dubious channels to prove intellectual worth & academic competence, integrity, is shameless and dishonest.What is the “USE-WPF Professor” award anyway? It stands for the Universal State of Earth, which is a WPF “project”. WPF calls itself the driving force behind its purpose of uniting humanity (I shudder to think what its research methods are).
Essentially, this project, and this forum are giving out a title (the “USE-WPF Professor”) in the name of its own project. And WPF runs its own credentialing system in Malaysia. The leaders of its Malaysian chapter list “PhD WPF University” as their doctorates.
So, this latest awardee, who was terminated by her university in April 2026, can now show off her “professor’s” title again.
You see, former professors who have been deemed fraudulent by their university, and who have since been stripped of their right to use legitimate academic titles or positions, showcasing their universities in promotional materials, media reporting, publications, and advertising, would relish such awards from WPF. They can parade titles like “USE-WPF Professor”, and continue to dupe the public.
NGOs like the WPF fill a much-needed gap for fraudsters. When a university withdraws someone’s academic standing, a parallel circuit of NGO titles, convocation ceremonies held at hotels and names that sound like UN bodies can step in.
It works because the public defers both to the “Prof.” accolade, and to international acronyms.
This also brings up another reality in academia, i.e. the phenomenon of fringe academics (or dubious, fraudulent ones). They obtain arbitrary validation from groups like the WPF and this is tied to a broader, global intellectual challenge: pseudohistory.
Pseudo-history is a highly lucrative intellectual industry driven by ethno-nationalism, corporate funding, & extreme ideological biases across the globe, including the United States and Europe, not just in Malaysia, India or Nigeria!
Lastly, I address Solehah Yaacob.
She must IMMEDIATELY correct her Facebook post, when she included “Prof. Syed Hussein Al-Attas (Malaysia)” as one of 38 recipients of the dubious WPF recognition. She obviously means “SH Al-Attas” or Pak Habib, the independent political writer, commentator and satirist.
Besides, this Al-Attas is not a “Prof”, in its formal definition. He is not to be confused with my late father, who is an intellectual and scholar, and whose last name is spelt “Alatas”.
Lastly, I don’t really care if Ms. Solehah persists in feeling great about her award. However, my post here is necessary because of the profound lack of attention to detail, and the persistence of the “tidak apa” attitude & bebalisme among academics like her in Malaysia.
And of course I need to clarify matters as soon as possible, and remove any potential connection people may make to my late father, and our good scholarly name. – Nov 4, 2026
Dr Sharifah Munirah Alatas is retired professor. She is the former Deputy Director and Principal Research Fellow at the Allianz Centre for Governance, Universiti Malaya.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia
