Murder convict eyes doctorate after MBA
KUALA LUMPUR: A man who has spent 14 years in prison after being convicted of murder since he was a teenager yesterday graduated with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Open University Malaysia (OUM) with a cumulative grade point average of 3.26.
Jim (not his real name) attended the convocation ceremony here.
Now, at the age of 31, Jim is already preparing to pursue a doctorate (PhD) in the same field.
Feeling rehabilitated and motivated to help other youths not to repeat his mistakes, Jim has applied for a royal pardon with the backing of the Prisons Department.
“What is important is that I don’t feel ashamed of myself. The stigma is no longer there. I accept how the society might view me,” Jim said at the sidelines of his convocation here yesterday.
“One of the things I have learned in these past 14 years is how to control my emotions, so I will not let other people’s view take me down,” he added.
His family funded his hunger for education while in prison, and Jim said he is hoping for a chance to demonstrate his gratitude and love for them.
Jim was only 17 when he was arrested for murder. He is the eldest among five siblings.
“When I was in prison, I realised that I could influence people instead of people influencing me. So I started influencing people of my age, not only about education but also about morals and religion,” he said.
“This is a major transformation for me, and I hope that I can bring my experience and share this knowledge with others,” he added.
Selangor and Federal Territories Prison director Darussalam Budin said Jim’s story was proof that the prison system allows prisoners to be rehabilitated and learn self control.
“We can see that with the education he obtained, the stigma is no longer there with him. He is ready to be back in society. So we plan to back his application for a pardon and we really hope his sentence will be lightened,” he said.
Darussalam said that many juvenile offenders are actually smart and intelligent, as shown by Jim’s achievements.
“When they are in normal surroundings, there are sometimes so many distractions for them to study. But in the prison, you see how focused they can be because there are no distractions,” he added.