SHAH ALAM: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, was today proclaimed Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
The proclamation ceremony was held at Dewan Agung Tuanku Canselor at the UiTM main campus here.
Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik presented the instrument of the proclamation to Sultan Abdullah.
In reading out the proclamation, Maszlee said the Universiti Teknologi Mara Act 1976 provides that the UiTM Chancellor is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the King must chair the university convocation.
Sultan Abdullah, in his acceptance speech, said he was extremely proud to have been proclaimed as chancellor of a tertiary institution with a very special history, especially in shaping excellence and the identity of the Malays and bumiputeras.
UiTM, he said, had played a major role in upholding the status and dignity of the bumiputeras through tertiary education.
“This university has long played a role in creating quality bumiputera human capital that has contributed to the nation. In my opinion, this university should retain its vision of emphasising sustainability of the Malays and bumiputeras in education. This will ensure that bumiputeras continue to excel in all global professions,” he said.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong said that to ensure that Malays and bumiputeras continue to be competitive at the global level, UiTM should provide studies which stress on the thought, intelligence and culture of the diverse races over time, and all this could be done without changing the identity and original objectives of the university.
Sultan Abdullah, who was sworn in as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Jan 31 for a five-year term, said he believed that if a race wants to change and overcome every challenge it faces, it should have knowledgeable human capital as well as spiritual strength and outstanding personalities.
He said UiTM, as a centre of learning and civilisation that has produced intelligent people, has a big responsibility to instill integrity in its graduates.
He said the sense of integrity must be present in the leadership of any organisation as an ethical and credible leadership would ensure excellence in its organisation.
“As such, I urge everyone (in UiTM) to instill integrity in all aspects of life, in order to be moral, ethical and praiseworthy people.
“I also urge that they preserve the good name of the university. UiTM is an institution with a lot of history. This is where the dignity and the rights of the Malays and bumiputeras are championed.
“I take this opportunity to urge all Malaysians to avoid words and action that can lead to disunity and chaos, as well as lies and envy. All these will only cause the destruction of the race and the national development that was built over a long period,” he said. - Bernama