KUALA LUMPUR: Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu says he accepts and obeys the decree of Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, as the Chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), to retain its current name.
Mohamad said he considers the decision by His Royal Highness Sultan Selangor as final and does not wish to prolong the matter.
He added that his duty as minister is now focused on advancing the university alongside its staff and, if necessary, seeking allocations to support this.
Mohamad made these remarks to the media after launching the Federal Territory Parti Amanah Nasional Convention in Sentul on Friday (Dec 1).
This announcement followed Sultan Sharafuddin's strong opposition to any changes to UPM's name, explaining that the name was changed from "Pertanian" to "Putra" for a reason.
On Thursday, Mohamad had stated that a proposal to revert UPM's name to its original, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, would be submitted to the Cabinet for discussion.
However, on Saturday (Nov 30), His Royal Highness expressed that neither the UPM Board of Trustees nor he as Chancellor had been consulted in advance about any proposed name change.
"I do not agree with the proposal," the Sultan said during the second part of Session One of the 48th UPM Convocation Ceremony on Saturday.
Sultan Sharafuddin emphasised in his speech that the name UPM should remain unchanged as he had inaugurated the Putra brand, which means "Agriculture for the People."
The name also honours Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.
The Sultan added, "I would like to remind those who do not understand history to read and examine historical facts before making any statements, especially involving UPM."
