By: Azman Zakaria
Photo: Noor Azreen Awang
SERDANG, August 19: The celebration of independence must be meaningful to nurture the mind to continuously remember the trust and responsibility of the independence as best as possible, said Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Prof. Dr. Mohd Roslan Sulaiman.
He said the celebration of independence should not be just a celebration that comes and goes.
Prof. Dr. Mohd Roslan, who is carrying out duties of the Vice-Chancellor, said in line with the theme, ‘Malaysia Prihatin’, for Independence Day and Malaysia Day this year, UPM is committed to being a proactive frontline to face the upcoming challenges.
"UPM's role must go beyond the 'fence' of the campus so that we are always referred, respected and remain relevant," he said when launching the Rukun Negara and Semarak Merdeka 2020 Appreciation Campaign, here.
"UPM has proven recently that with high enthusiasm, we are brave enough to face the impact of COVID-19 and the Movement Control Order (MCO) successfully through risk management, research initiatives, product innovations and application developments as well as sound public advocacy," he said while thanking all parties who worked hard to help out in difficult situations during the MCO.
He added the independence achieved by the country over the past 63 years does not mean the struggle for the generation after independence is over because challenges are always present en route towards becoming a strong nation and country.
He said the reality of a plural society encourages people to be more tolerant of each other to achieve the true meaning of unity.
He also said efforts to cultivate patriotism and unity had been implemented since time immemorial, and the Rukun Negara which was introduced on 31 August 1970 aims to foster and achieve racial harmony and unity.
Therefore, whatever the visions, policies or aspirations by the government, it must be welcomed by the community, he added.
"In this case, the high appreciation among Malaysians to realise the demands and trusts enshrined in the Rukun Negara is very much desired," he said.
According to Prof. Dr. Mohd Roslan, UPM is very committed to ensure success in the programme to strengthen the appreciation of the Rukun Negara integration among university members by organising programmes such as Intellectual Discourse, Rukun Negara Public Speaking Competition, Rukun Negara Story Sharing Competition, Essay Writing Competition as well as Rukun Negara and Independence Quiz.
In further boosting the independence celebration this year, he said, UPM in collaboration with the Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT), Ministry of Higher Education is organising two series of Independence Talk on 4 and 11 September.
"As an institution of knowledge, we need to uphold such programmes because our role is not only to explore the horizons of knowledge but to be the frontline that champions the nation's development agenda for common prosperity," he said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Mohd Roslan, who was announced as the ninth UPM Vice-Chancellor starting from 1 September, thanked the Minister of Higher Education, Dato' Dr. Noraini Ahmad for the trust given and will do his best. - UPM
