FRIDAY, 21 MARCH – The Grand Nite of Pesta Tiong Hua was held recently at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Dewan Kuliah Perdana

Various activities were held at the event which was attended by more than 2,000 students and community of multi-racial background around Kota Kinabalu.

The fiesta which was filled with cultural performances of the Chinese was also attended by the President of the Association of Chinese Culture Sabah, Datuk Chau Tet On and the Deputy President of the Chinese Society Sabah, Datuk Jimmy Yong Kyok Ming.

The opening night was officiated by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs and Alumni, Assoc. Prof. Datuk Dr. Kasim Hj. Md. Mansur.

In his speech, Datuk Kasim said that Pesta Tiong Hua was one of the cultural activities celebrated each year as an effort to introduce the values, customs and culture of the Chinese to the campus community of the many different ethnic backgrounds.

“This event is organised to create a culture of understanding and interaction among all ethnicity as well as fostering interests in the arts thus able to improve the soft skills among the students,” he said.

He added that it was also an effort of the university to foster closer ties among the campus community to achieve national integration in line with the 1Malaysia concept.

Also present at the event was the President of the Student Representatives Council (MPP) UMS, Fandyi Sanizan Jurup. – SS (fl)

 
Source: Student Affairs Department (HEP)

 
Media and Citra Division
Chancellery Department

WEDNESDAY, 19 MARCH – Media practitioners play an important role in providing coverage and promoting government’s policies and its image to the community.

Recognising its importance, the Ethnographic and Development Unit (UPEP) in collaboration with the Social Science Communication Programme School of Social Science (SSS) Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) had organised a seminar titled ‘Devlopment of Public Communication In Sabah’.

The one-day seminar involving about 100 SSS students was held in conjunction with UMS 20^th anniversary to discuss the role of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Multimedia as the official spokesman for the government to the public.

TUESDAY, 18 MARCH - “I did not expect to receive this Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws. It is a very great honour and I am truly grateful.”

That was the expression by the Head of State, His Excellency Tuan Yang Terutama Tun (Dr.) Haji Juhar Datuk Haji Mahiruddin in an exclusive interview in conjunction with the conferment of the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of Wolverhampton (UoW), United Kingdom.

The Commemorative Convocation Ceremony was held at the Dewan Canselor, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) today.

In an interview, Tun Juhar who is also the Chancellor of UMS said his interest in law started when he was in his school days.

“I chose law because of several factors. Among them were it ensures a bright future and a lot of job opportunities.

“In addition, being the Barrister-at-law is a professional field which is recognised in all Commonwealth countries, particularly in the United Kingdom,” he added, who was also appointed as the Patron of UoW Alumni Malaysia.

Describing his father as the main driver, Tun Juhar also shared his experiences while studying for the Bachelor of Law Degree at UoW which was formerly known as Wolverhampton Polytechnic.

He said the culture in England was certainly far different from Malaysia’s, but it was not difficult for him to adapt to as he had many friends at the university who were from Sabah.

“I have many friends who were not only Malaysians but British. While I was there, the main setback was communicating with my family back home in Sabah. There was no internet access and communitcation system like today. The only means was through letters,” he said, mentioning the name of Speaker at the Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia as among his close friends while at the university.

When asked to comment on his involvement in the field of law, he said the unforgettable experience was to watch the reaction of families of the accused shed tears when the court announced the conviction of the accused.

“We feel for the affected families. But our decision is made according to the rules and regulations, taking in account public interest,” he said, who served as First Class Magistrate early in his career in the public service.

Tun Juhar who described music as part of his life also stressed that law had helped him not only in his daily tasks but also in politics.

“The legal field requires a lot of reading but mostly focused on the Law Report and Law Journal including Bill. That helps me a lot in my career, as a lawyer, we must be up-to-date with existing and current developments,” he emphasised.

A figure-head of Tambisan Village, Sandakan, Tun Juhar also emphasised that every legal practitioner should have a high level of discipline and integrity.

“We were taught to uphold justice for all. We cannot practice double standards in our work but be brave in upholding justice without fear or favour,” he said ending the interview.

About 5,000 attended the conferment of Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws conferred by the Vice-Chancellor of UoW, Prof. Geoff Layer. Also present was Toh Puan Datuk Seri Panglima Hajah Norlidah Datuk R.M. Jasni; Minister of Community Development and Consumer Affairs, Datuk Hajah Jainab Ahmad Ayid and UMS Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohd. Harun Abdullah. – SS (fl)

 

Photo: Ernest Berinus

 
Media and Citra Division
Chancellery Department