Tronoh, 29th October – After 7 ½ years at the
helm of the university’s administration, it was time for outgoing Vice
Chancellor Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Hj Kasim to make his last live address to
students of UTP. Datuk Zainal Abidin was invited to share his experiences while
on his long road to success at an event entitled “The Leadership Journey – My
Experience”, held at Undercroft recently. Entry to the sharing session, a joint
initiative by Rakan Masjid and MPPUTP, was open to all.
The VC cut a figure of humility and calmness as he made his unceremonious
entry to Seminar room 7, going straight for the microphone, evidently not
expecting any formalities to be observed on his account. The casually dressed
VC began his speech by providing some background information on his education
and also his career at Petronas, a company he has been attached to for 36
years. The audience, comprising students from all faculties and academic years,
were constantly in stitches listening to the VC’s amusing anecdotes and impromptu
humour. For many of those in attendance, this was a comedic side to the VC that
they had never witnessed before. For S.Kesavarthiny (PE, 1st Sem),
the experience altered her view of the VC entirely. “I’ve
always thought of him as a serious and quiet man. He’s actually a really funny
guy! He gives very practical advice too!” said Kesavarthiny, who has been a student here
since September.
As he went along, Datuk Zainal offered more details of his
personal life, including photographs of his childhood and schooling years at
Malay College Kuala Kangsar, of which Datuk Zainal is a proud alumnus. At this
point he expressed his unhappiness with the severe lack of racial integration he
observes here on campus, something that was never a problem during his time as
a student. The VC also talked about the sacrifices he has made to arrive at
where he is today, including having to spend a year away from his wife soon
after marriage to complete his Masters. Datuk Dr Zainal is now a PhD holder,
having completed his doctorate in Paris. Other topics touched on by the VC were
how to deal with failure and on being a good leader. According to Datuk Dr Zainal,
“The essence of good leadership is one’s character”
and “It is not what you say, but what people hear that
matters”.
After he was done, Datuk Dr Zainal began to take questions
from the audience. When asked what his aspirations were for the future of the
university, he humorously commented, “There are too many
black-haired people here. I want to see more blondes!” to which he received an
exuberant reaction from the crowd.
He went on to clarify that he meant that he hopes the university will
one day begin to attract students from developed nations and Western countries
as well. During the Q&A session, some senior students took the opportunity
to express their long-standing admiration for Datuk Zainal and their regret at
his retirement.
The event drew to a close with a short
video montage
prepared by Rakan Masjid, preceded by a gift-giving ceremony in which various
organisations and clubs presented their tokens of appreciation to Datuk Zainal.
By Marc Raphael, PE
