Making a point: Anwar delivering his speech at UM’s Dewan Tunku Canselor. — GLENN GUAN/The Star
IT is important to balance modern advancements with cultural and historical identity, akin to reaching for the sky while staying grounded in our roots, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister emphasised that this balance is especially critical in the post-normal era, which demands embracing change.
Anwar, who highlighted this during his speech at the 2024 Universiti Malaya (UM) Alumni Night on Dec 17, explained that “reaching for the sky” represents the pursuit of new disciplines, knowledge and technology – be it digital advancements, energy transitions or artificial intelligence (AI).
But we must never let go of our responsibility and awareness of the strength of our language, culture and civilisation, he said, referring to “staying rooted to the ground”.
Anwar stressed the need to adhere to this principle to meet contemporary challenges.
Whether we are talking about language, race, religion, culture or economics, we cannot escape the need to emphasise the importance of intelligence and raising dignity through knowledge and the tradition of gaining wisdom, he said.
“Without that awareness, the country will be in turmoil because we are neither staying grounded in our roots nor reaching for the sky, nor are we respecting facts and truth,” he added.
Anwar, an alumnus and patron of the UM Alumni Association, said the university is often regarded as a beacon of knowledge and cultural pride, recognised for producing intellectual giants and fostering a culture of academic excellence.
Reflecting on his youth, he shared that guiding principles of truth and justice, nurtured by the intellectual leaders of his time, were pivotal in shaping national identity.
He noted that subsequent generations have undoubtedly benefited from the university’s “strong culture of knowledge”, which serves as a foundation for nation-building.
The event, which brought together over 2,000 alumni, was graced by Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, who serves as the UM chancellor, along with national laureate Datuk Seri Abdul Samad Muhammad Said, better known as A. Samad Said.
The event was held to foster the continuity of UM’s excellence through contributions to the UM Endowment Fund (UMEF).
The fund will support the development of modern infrastructure, enrich academic and research programmes, and strengthen UM’s reputation as a global leader in education, innovation and research.
Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Melaka Tun Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam, and several UM alumni Cabinet ministers, including Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Investment, Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Liew Chin Tong.
Performances by renowned Malaysian artistes such as Jamal Abdillah and Dayang Nurfaizah added a festive touch to the event.
Urging the alumni to contribute to the UMEF, Anwar proposed that Cabinet members who are UM alumni donate RM10,000 each, while alumni earning more than RM10,000 contribute RM1,000 each.
He said with collective contributions to the fund, the RM500mil target is achievable, which would reduce the burden on the government.
However, he said the proposal does not absolve the government of its responsibility to provide funding for the university.
UM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Seri Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman said the endowment fund aims to raise RM1bil, with RM500mil expected from alumni, corporate partners and industry players, while the remaining amount is hoped to be matched by the government.
“To date, we have successfully raised RM220mil from internal and external sources.
“We humbly appeal for continuous support, particularly from the government, to join us in achieving this university agenda,” he said.
