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

SELASA, 18 MAC - Sebagai salah sebuah negara yang kaya dengan sumber marin dan akuakultur di rantau ini, adalah penting bagi Malaysia untuk mengekalkan sumber-sumber tersebut bagi memenuhi permintaan hasil laut yang semakin meningkat.

Justeru, bagi memastikan sumber-sumber laut itu dapat dikekalkan, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) melalui Institut Penyelidikan Marin Borneo (IPMB) tampil menganjurkan Seminar Sains Marin dan Akuakultur Antarabangsa 2014.

Siri persidangan selama tiga hari tersebut merupakan sebuah platform pertukaran ilmu dalam bidang ekosistem marin dan perkembangan sumber makanan laut melalui perikanan lestari dan akuakultur.

Menurut Menteri Sains Teknologi dan Inovasi (MOSTI), Datuk Dr. Ewon Ebin; keupayaan produktiviti laut akan terganggu sekiranya perlindungan biodiversiti marin dan sistem sokongan kepada hidupan laut itu tidak dipertingkatkan.

“Cabaran hebat dalam pembangunan mampan sektor ini adalah disebabkan oleh perubahan iklim, yang menyebabkan terjadinya pengasidan laut dan perkara ini memerlukan usaha global untuk menyelesaikannya,” katanya ketika merasmikan persidangan tersebut di Grand Ballroom 1Borneo, Kota Kinabalu.

Menerusi persidangan itu juga, Datuk Dr. Ewon Ebin berharap agar para saintis negara dapat menjalinkan hubungan kerjasama dengan institusi-institusi antarabangsa dalam menangani masalah global tersebut.

Terdahulu, Naib Canselor UMS, Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohd. Harun Abdullah berkata, meskipun eksploitasi berlebihan kepada sumber biologi marin adalah bersifat global, namun setiap negara harus saling bekerjasama ke arah mengawal struktur dan fungsi-fungsi komuniti biologi dalam bidang kuasa masing-masing.

“Ia merupakan satu cabaran yang besar bagi mengurangkan kesan tindakan manusia dan perubahan iklim ke atas sumber marin sambil membangunkan sistem akuakultur mampan menggunakan teknologi yang serasi dengan piawaian alam sekitar,” ujarnya. Teks ucapan beliau dibacakan oleh Timbalan Naib Canselor (Akademik dan Antarabangsa), Prof. Shariff Abd. Kadir Omang Al-Haj.

Persidangan yang dihadiri lebih 100 peserta dari dalam dan luar negara itu merupakan anjuran UMS dengan kerjasama Jabatan Perikanan Malaysia, Lembaga Pelabuhan-pelabuhan Sabah, Lembaga Pemegang Amanah Taman-taman Sabah, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) serta Direktorat Oseanografi Kebangsaan Kementerian Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi dan. -ZMD


Bahagian Media dan Citra
Jabatan Canselori

Gambar: Ramdan Nain

 

FRIDAY, 14 MARCH – Chairman of the Board of Directors (LPU) Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Tun Zaki Tun Azmi urged all UMS community to practice integrity at all times.

He said that academic and administrative staff including UMS students should strive to reach a higher level of integrity in themselves.

“A university that does not practice integrity will not be respected in terms of its degree and publications, and its graduates will have a hard time finding employment.

“For UMS to be a respected university, it should practice good corporate governance, quality management, good planning and monitoring, ensuring accountability for all financial management, implementation of university’s policies according to regulations and to practice transparency in all matters,” he emphasised.

He said this in his inaugural talk ‘Warga Berintegriti, Universiti Berkualiti’ at the Dewan Resital, UMS.

The programmes which would be held during the month of integrity would be extended until the next year as a way to remind and cultivate the culture of integrity among UMS community over time.

More than 500 staff and students of UMS attended the inaugural lecture of Tun Zaki’s. Also present were the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohd. Harun Abdullah, UMS Registrar, Datuk Abdullah Hj. Mohd. Said and Principal Officers of the university. – MA (fl)

 
Media and Citra Division
Chancellery Department
 

THURSDAY, 13 MARCH – The Debug group which comprised of staff from the Registrar Department had been selected to represent Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) at the 10^th Creative and Innovative Convention (KIK) Institutions of Higher Learning (IPTA) level which will be held on 8-10 April at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).

The group was selected after netting the highest score in the KIK project at UMS level recently. Debug presented their project entitle ‘Employee Data Sent to MyMOHES Does Not Reach 100% of Management Data’.

UMS Registrar, Datuk Abdullah Hj. Mohd. Said said that the KIK UMS level was organised in line with the 4^th University Key Result Areas which was Governance, Leadership and Delivery System.

It was obvious that not only KIK was able to solve various work problems and daily work routine but also helped increase human capital development.

“KIK is able to promote creative and innovative work culture and build a solid teamwork. This will increase motivation as well as appreciation and satisfaction to all individuals involved,” he said.

Also present as the evaluation panel for the KIK project presentation was the Sabah SIRIM Director, Haji Khairan Utoh; Sabah MARDI Director, Hj Sadi Sujang and Malaysia Productivity Corporation Executive Consultant Sabah Branch, Edward Binty. – MA (fl)

 
Media and Citra Division
Chancellery Department