MCA President Recalls Meeting Former Inmate Who Earned PhD In Prison Years Ago

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong recently discovered he had crossed paths with Malaysia’s first “prison PhD” 18 years ago — when the man was still a juvenile offender sitting in a classroom at Kajang Prison.

Wee was reflecting on the widely reported story of Malik Riyadh, a former inmate who completed his doctorate while behind bars and was recently granted a full pardon by the Sultan of Selangor.

The story moved him deeply, he said in a Facebook post.

But what he didn’t expect was to find out he had actually met Malik years earlier.

Wee said several friends had been forwarding him the same screenshot over the past few days, suggesting he had met Malik back in 2008.

At first, he was puzzled-the screenshot showed a comment from a Malaysian Chinese teacher who had been teaching juvenile offenders at Kajang Prison’s reform school since 2008.

When Blurred Memories Became Clear

Malik, the teacher said, was one of those students.

He recalled visiting the Kajang reform school 18 years ago and seeing a room full of young offenders.

Some came from broken homes. Some couldn’t even read properly. Others struggled to express themselves clearly.

That visit, he said, made him determined to fight for educational opportunities for incarcerated youth — especially those who still wanted to learn despite their difficult circumstances.

Lost Sheep Can Find Their Way Back

Wee donated textbooks and exam papers, hoping to give these young people the tools to keep learning.

Only now, he said, does he realise that the thin, young boy sitting in that crowd was Malik — one of the beneficiaries of those books.

Looking at Malik’s journey now — from juvenile offender to PhD holder — Wee said he felt deeply moved.

He also paid tribute to the prison officials, educators, and others working behind the scenes to make rehabilitation through education a reality.

The PhD That Made History

The story has gotten people talking again about whether education can really turn lives around — even for people who’ve messed up badly.

Malik began serving his sentence in 2001 at the age of 14 and became the first inmate in Malaysia to earn a PhD while behind bars, showing remarkable personal growth and determination throughout his incarceration.

After receiving a royal pardon, he had the honour of meeting Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor — a historic first, as no former inmate with a prison-earned doctorate had ever been granted such an audience.

The meeting was described as deeply emotional, underscoring the transformative power of education in rehabilitation.

His journey from teenage offender to PhD holder has become a powerful symbol of second chances and redemption.

Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.

...