My PhD journey so far...

Completed my proposal defence presentation last week. I think it was my first proper presentation after 3 years! Considering that and furthermore it was in English, it was a bit nerve-wrecking but I guess from the reception afterward, I manage to "break some leg" (to use my wife's words of encouragement). My professor-supervisor has some other ideas on my research direction which I have no problems to oblige. Still with the presentation done, my proposed research agenda  is now somewhat confirmed (Reinventing Management; A Case Study of Ikhwanul Muslimin Business Enterprises). I am now well into research mode for the next 2 years. Egypt, here I come! (where to find budget huh?)

Looking back, it really took me a long way to arrive at this stage. For those planning to do your PhD, forget about making direct application. Instead, get your idea right, write a nice proposal and send it to your prospective supervisor first. I lost quite a number of months applying straight to the schools only to get rejection letter simply because there is no supervisors willing to take your topic. Once the supervisors are confirmed, the university usually have no qualms admitting you as a student. Even if you are discouraged by your "so-so" academic background, it should not deter you from applying. Trust me, even at 35, with variable income and somewhat average academic result, I am now a PhD student in UM!

Is it worth it? I don't know. For some (including myself, honestly) the title "Dr" does feed into one's ego and is perhaps worth all the trouble. In my case specifically, my initial thought is to become the first family member with the title "Dr" but my lil'sister beat me to it (she's now an MO in HKL). My wife will most probably getting hers much earlier than me (doctorate, Halal science - operating on chickens...quack! quack! quack!). But putting that aside, I have always wanted to do one proper, serious research work. I missed doing that for my MBA. At 35, I realized this PhD looks like a final chance for me to do just that.    

For some reasons, I hoped to avoid doing study on Islamic management. My initial interest is on entrepreneurship or ASEAN. But finding a supervisor on the two subjects at my university of choice was a challenge. A USM professor I approached instead offered me to do neuroscience which I have zero knowledge about! My good wife (again) reminded me that learning is supposed to bring us closer to Allah. And seeing how almost easy for me getting responses from supervisors, perhaps it is fated that I'll be doing my advanced study on the subject.

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UM's PhD study nowadays operate on a different tack. There is a lot more emphasis on speed and graduate-ability. The recently approved graduate-by-journal submission for example allows students to gain their doctorate by publishing 3 or 4 journals. For some, this is an attractive option as they will need to write less, build academic reputation and get incentives as they publish, instead of submitting at least 100 pages of thesis that almost certainly no one would care to read.

In an environment where speed is important, usually quality will give in. It is a natural trade-off that requires attention especially as UM seeks to rebuild its reputation. While the focus on students graduate-ability may be good and ensure that students remain steadfast and disciplined in their study, the university's initiative to push everyone to publish in either ISI Tier-1 or Tier-2 journals is perhaps too ambitious and naive. Adding to that, every academic person is now rated by their 'h" index that measure one's academic productivity and impact of their published work. Gone were the days when one's reputation is build on the years of contribution to the academic world. Today, it is all about how high is your 'h' score! My two cents worth - all these talk about "ISI" and"h" score sounded ridiculous and will definitely get more people confused. While the intent is good and that is to push UM into a higher ranked territory, the fact is ISI Tier 1-2 journals are a tough club to break into. The quality of research published in these journals are truly from a different world which the university is still far from achieving with the chronic lack of fund and talent. Not to mention, these journals are thoroughly English publications of which we are not native to. And while we should have put the destiny of the university firmly on our hands, by allowing ISI ranking and "h" index to determine our standards, we inexplicably empower Thomson Reuters to dictate our direction.  Simon Linacre, a Thomson Reuters publisher/coordinator (the company behind ISI ranking) admitted that many universities are already moving beyond ISI ranking as means of rating. What's more, even MOHE does not impose such condition to any of the RU's including UM. So why are we making it difficult for ourselves while they may be a more reasonable initiative?  The fact that university ranking by itself is controversial with many dismissing its relevance, UM should reinvent its ways and strategy as it aims to move from good to great.

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I can't stress further on the importance of finding good supervisor(s). There are a lot of horror stories around where years of PhD research work got derailed as student-supervisor relationship deteriorated. A friend of mine has to change university after 2 years of writing. Another never graduated. Another complaint to her department about her supervisor. And that is really a recipe for disaster! My principle is simple...they become professors and doctors (and only god knows how tough it is to become one!) because they are experts in their field. We as students should remain humbled by being students, no matter how knowledgeable we think we are. Yes, you should argue and debate your points but worked extra hard to incorporate your supervisors wisdom into your work. It is a sign that we respect their position as teacher and guide and the amount of time they spent on us to allow us to grow into a respectable person of the academia. Remember, at the end of the day either you pass or fail will largely depend on them.  

I am grateful to be able to work with Prof Nazari and Dr. Ilhaamie. Both have been generous with their ideas and comments. And without their support, I think it would have been difficult for me to get admission to UM! For sure, it is a challenge to have two supervisors especially when both have different styles with one being a bit more liberal while the other is more rigid. But again, that's the beauty of it. With Prof Nazari, I need to become a bit more adventurous yet realistic in my thinking while with Dr. Ilhaamie, I am constantly reminded that the world of academic need to follow certain structure or else risking my study of its intellectual integrity. And because of them both, I hope to become a better researcher as I embark on this academic journey. So, thank you Prof...syukran jazilan Dr. And happy Teacher's Day to both of you.        

To all prospective PhD students out there, I end my note with 3 advices related to me by my dear supervisor, Prof. Nazari Ismail;

* PhD study is a start to a long, ardous journey. 

* There is no way you can make money from a PhD study. 

* Be prepared that at the end of your research, you will find yourself wrong OR that no one cares about your study anyway. And that is okay...really.

:P 

Questions for Premier Wen?

When the Premier Wen Jiabao event was announced, I thought it would be interesting to listen to the questions. A colleague, hailing from China, clearly not impressed with the premier wanted to see if anyone would throw shoes at him!

In his reception speech, UM Vice-Chancellor was quick to note that Premier Wen visit to the university was certainly one of those few great occasions in the University's (100 years) history. Despite the high point, it was rather disappointing to see the VC's speech flat and bland in comparison to booming, energetic and eloquent Mr. Wen despite the former at 68 years of age is 13 years older than the VC and that the premier has just touched down an hour earlier with all the jet lag and travel bothersome. Clearly, the VC like most of us Malaysians is not a native English speaker. And since Premier Wen himself was speaking through an interpreter whom I suspect her Malay is as good as her English, then perhaps it will be better if the reception speech was done in Malay. It becomes even more ironic that English was given preference for the event when the premier himself talked about China opening a Malay study centre in Beijing. And that not a single Malay word was used throughout the event even on the large welcoming backdrop overlooking the stage! Yes, English is clearly the dominant International language but at an event like this, a dose of Malay (the VC even use Mandarin in his speech!) will do no harm and can only show the pride that we have in our national language as language of unity and knowledge.  


Rather unfortunately, my frustration with the event continued beyond speeches and languages, spilling into the Q&A session - the core reason me taking that long 2 and 1/2 hour journey to being there. But before I go deeper, first I wish to reiterate some points. 


Mr. Wen's visit to Malaysia came on the backdrop of several interesting development. IMF has just released a report predicting that China is expected to overtake US as world's biggest economy in 2015 worth 19 trillion dollar. Tibet, long being a stain in China's human rights record has just concluded an election in-exile, selecting a Harvard scholar to replace Dalai Lama as the political head of Tibet perhaps removing one of the most visible faces of opposition to the Chinese regime. And the US dollar hit a new low, potentially sparking a new round of currency wars. The Renmimbi with its artificial exchange rate has become a source of irritation amongst developed countries particularly the US. With such a wealth of issues, I was hoping that my peers would have asked some "killer" questions given the opportunity. But to my dismay (more like horror actually), the questions were shallow and was killing me instead - how would Premier Wen sees the development of education collaboration between China and Malaysia? How would Premier Wen sees the importance of science and technology in the country development? Huh?
Of course science and technology is important to China. They just build a stealth fighter jet, for god sake! I didn't wait for the Premier's answer on the second question. Seriously, questions like these make me feel stupid and perhaps a bit embarrassed being a UM student. With so much things happening in and around China and so little opportunity to ask good questions to the most rightful person, the best questions we can come up to are those two?! 


I don't blame the questioners, really. The responsibility lies with the UM administration to get the best out of the students and in my opinion we failed miserably. With both questioners seems fully dressed for the occasion with their baju Melayu and all, it only adds to the controversies that the questions were censured. What I see is that the university's administration contradicting themselves with little if no guilt at all especially that Malaysiakini reports that a Student Affairs officer, collaborating with the police stopped a student from asking the Premier about Tiannanmen Square.   

We should have used the opportunity to pose tough questions to Premier Wen. While I may have some reservation asking about the Tiannanmen Square incident (this has happened too long ago and that many questions and answers have been made on the subject. And it is a corny topic anyway), the list of tough questions are endless; update on China's Nobel peace prize winner who remain under detention, China's role in bringing the Korean peninsula conflict to an end, environmental costs on China's economic development, his comments on Arab uprisings (I wanted to ask this) and many others. I am sure there were many students eager to pose that tough question to the premier. Instead of prejudicing, let the questions flow but coach the questioner on the protocols, words and sentences that are formal, intellectual and respectful. Frame it in a manner that would allow Premier Wen to reply in a way that best explained his government's positions that are hard to get from mainstream media controlled by the West.  Even better, bring the process to a greater level of transparency by letting the students pose their intended questions in YouTube and get our best minds to select them. I remember YouTube and CNN did this for the Obama-McCain debate few years back. Be upfront on why certain questions may not be "relevant" for the occasion and I do believe the majority of youths in UM will understand this. In fact, the VC should take time explaining in his reception speech how the questions are selected and I am sure the democratic meanings behind the process will not be lost on Mr Wen and his entourage. So besides Tiannanmen Square, I am sure we will find wealth of creative questions that is far more intellectually stimulating than the two that were asked. In fact, I sense a certain openness on the part of the Premier when he said, in that typical poetic fashion Chinese leaders are fond of, of his love being in the company of young people and that he learned even much more from the youths. The fact that he has made himself vulnerable to an open Q&A session shows his willingness to face the unexpected. Instead of educating our youths on the subtleness of diplomacy and showing what Malaysian youths are truly capable of to Premier Wen, we control and censure them. Perhaps what Tun Dr. Mahathir said of us is true; we ourselves are always guilty of over-extending self-censorship.    

When we are sincere in our questioning with no intention to intimidate, people can feel that sincere energy and will response meaningfully. I learnt this lesson the very next day during Q&A session with Dr. Azzam Tamimi in IIUM. Of course, Dr. Azzam is not a statesman to the level of Premier Wen. But to those learned, Dr. Azzam is one of those political scientists sought for their opinions on the Middle East and is a known Hamas sympathizer. The session was thankfully interactive with many interesting questions and observations especially with regards to the uprising in the Arab world. And of all questions asked, I thought the most testing of all was the one when he was asked why he took a British nationality instead of remaining in Palestine. It may be a naughty question that at a glance was testing his integrity as a champion of Palestinian cause. But for those who have read his work and know his background, it is a question that should be asked. And while some of us in the hall including myself lacks that courage to ask, I am glad someone did stand up and ask it anyway. And listening to the question directly, I am sure everyone could sense the genuine interest of the questioner which was then reciprocated by Dr. Azzam. Not only that his answer was fluid, it was also revealing and in the end, all of us in the hall could better relate to the plight of overseas Palestinians everywhere. How I could only imagine if the question on Tiannanmen Square got asked that day and what great lessons we could have learnt from the premier which now can never come.