| Universiti Putra Malaysia

Graduates urge not to be influenced by excessive freedom of speech


SERDANG, Oct 13th – The Tuanku Chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah urged university graduates not to be blindly insistent on freedom of speech and be influenced by those with ulterior motives masked within their political ideology.

“I hope the students and graduates will not be influenced by on-campus political parties although they are welcome to follow the current development of the country’s political scene. They should not be too absorbed with political activities that might

He also urged graduates to be more matured in overcoming any obstacles they face or in their surroundings.

“It is my hope that these graduates are guided by the knowledge they have acquired at the university and do not forget the values that are the foundation of our society,” he said at the opening of UPM’s 36th Convocation ceremony held at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Arts and Cultural Centre.

Sultan Sharafuddin called for university students, especially those from UPM,  not to be involved in street protests as it is not our culture do so, and furthermore, such action only leads to problems.  

He expressed his concerns about  negative tendencies that  could lead to legal action being taken against students which would destroy the hopes of their families to see them succeed in their education.

“Those who have already been involved in street protests have not only violated the law by damaging public property but have also been seen to even cause bodily hurt to security personnel,” he said.

On a different note, the Tuanku Chancellor urged the graduates to be prepared to think out of the box and develop strategic thinking as the young generation are expected to be bold enough to innovate and be creative for the betterment of society and to help bring the nation to greater heights.

“Malaysia’s success should not be limited to the realisation of Vision 2020, but should go beyond,” he said, and expressed the hope that UPM graduates would be in high demand due to the quality of their education. 

Sultan Sharafuddin said in order achieve such high standards, UPM must continue to  focus on providing quality education and developing students’ soft skills apart from continuing to strengthen research excellence that would benefit society.

The Tuanku Chancellor  congratulated UPM for maintaining the highest number of PhD graduates in the country this year with the conferment of 457 doctorate degrees.

At this year’s convocation a total of 6,200 graduates received their scrolls, among them 457 PhDs,  1,895 Masters, 3,477 Bachelors and 371 Diploma recipients. At the same ceremony, the Tuanku Chancellor awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Management to former Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan.

Also present at the ceremony were the two UPM Pro-Chancellors, Tan Sri Dato’ Setia Dr.Nayan Arifin and Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Lim Ah Lek.

The Tuanku Chancellor was proud of the university’s efforts in highlighting the significance of knowledge endowment through a fund for the purpose of disseminating education especially to the needy, which to date  amounts to RM2.0 million, from contributions by university staff, alumni, corporations and generous individuals. 

In addition, he also expressed his pride at the achievement of UPM’s Putra Business School (formerly the Graduate School of Management) and the Faculty of Economics and Management for being accredited with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the first public university in the country to be recognized by the prestigious international accreditation body for world business schools.

Meanwhile, at the second session of the ceremony in the afternoon, Pro-Chancellor, Tan Sri Dato’ Setia Dr Nayan Ariffin in his speech said the university was not only facing the challenge to produce graduates who meet the standards set by industry and the job market but they must also know how to use their knowledge and skills to transform challenges into profitable opportunities.

“The opportunities are not only beneficial to oneself but will also affect the country and the well-being of the global community,” he said.

He expressed the hope that the graduates would fully utilize their knowledge and skills to give back to the community and help develop a civilization of quality and integrity that is synergistic with the environment.

News prepared by Khairul Anuar Muhamad Noh, 03-89467469 & Mohd Rozaidi / Photo by Marina Ismail, 03-89468985


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