Tronoh, 7th March –It was a memorable day indeed for
the Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) community, as none other than our
former Prime Minister and the Chancellor of UTP, Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Dr.
Mahathir bin Mohamad arrived to give us his thoughts on modern-day graduates.
Endless quotes, tips and brilliant ideas were in constant supply from the
smart-looking gentleman of 87 years. The
size of audience was stunning. “The crowd this morning was way bigger than
Convo’s crowd!” exclaimed Izyan Farhana A. Kaher (CE, 2nd/3rd).
People started flooding the Chancellor Hall as early as 10 a.m. on the busy
day. Despite his late arrival at 11 a.m. Y.A. Bhg. Tun Mahathir, the great man
still received a warm welcome from the audience who were eager to listen to his
speech titled ‘Graduates in the 21st Century’.
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| Dr M holding everyone's attention with his public speaking prowess. |
After the customary introductions by lovely emcee for the afternoon, HOT's very own advisor Pn Azelin Bt Mohamed Noor, Dr Mahathir began his speech with something very simple
yet very meaningful: “We need to sustain ourselves and cope with all the
complexity in society. How? Knowledge.” It is true; the two important things
needed to survive in this world are knowledge and experience. The latter you
gain it naturally as you grow up, but what about the former? His ideas and tips on knowledge were great. One
of the first things Tun highlighted was that learning doesn’t stop, it is a
lifetime process. Education is not just about reading books, doing exercises
and passing exams but it is about acquiring knowledge from other people. Since
in the 21st century the language of knowledge is English, he feels
it is vital that everyone learn and practice English. “Speaking in English
doesn’t make you an English man”, he joked reassuringly
.
.
Tun continued with justifying his introduction of Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Inggeris
(Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English), or PPSMI, when
he was Prime Minister. According to him, subjects like Geography and History do
not undergo changes. For example, the location and shape of a country is going
to remain as it is and the dates of wars will not change. But, Science and
Mathematics are still open to changes as every day, somewhere on this Earth,
someone is conducting research and forming new theories and inventions. “What is rejected today may not be rejected
tomorrow and what is limited today may not be limited tomorrow”, was Tun’s
opinion of science and technology. According to Tun, it was a perfectly logical
move to introduce PPSMI in order to ensure a good future for Malaysia,
considering the position of the English language as the medium of communication
in the scientific world.
Talking about success, Tun had a
good story to share with all the people in the hall. His story was about the Koreans,
but not the ones who put on funny clothes and show off strange dance moves.
This story was about hardworking and successful people. It was about a number
of people selected and funded by the government of Korea to carry the
industries of Korea to the pinnacle of modern technological development.
Samsung and Hyundai are among the companies which were supported by the
government of Korea. The reason was that those selected Koreans could adjust to
their surroundings easily, work hard, maintain their discipline and most
importantly, keen to be successful. Tun concluded that the best way to deal
with hardships in the 21st century is to look at the Koreans. He
says that now even the giants of the Western world are looking up to the
Koreans. Tun ended his speech by stressing on the significance of character in
one’s career life. “Knowledge helps you to get a job, character helps you to
work”, he finished.
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| Tun posing with the HOT team present at the event. |
All in all, Tun Mahathir’s
presence in itself was enough to inspire those in attendance. This was evident
by the happy faces among the attendees, some of whom were trying hard to shake
hands with Tun Mahathir or get his autograph.
A full recording of the event can be found here, courtesy of UTP.
By Munir Juman, PE
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