KUALA LUMPUR: Besides preparing undergraduates for the working world, universities must also help them understand society, think independently and respect different cultures, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The TARC Education Foundation board of trustees chairman said education should not be limited to professional knowledge and employability skills, but should also expose students to history and humanistic values.
“History should not be merely words in a textbook or points to be memorised for an examination. It should be something people can experience, observe and reflect upon,” he said.
Dr Wee, who is also MCA president, was speaking at the opening of the Dr Sun Yat-sen 160th Birth Anniversary Photo Exhibition at Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT), yesterday.
He said the exhibition, which features historical photographs and documents tracing key stages of Dr Sun’s life, gives students an opportunity to learn about history beyond the classroom.
Dr Wee said Chinese communities in Nanyang, a historical term referring to South-East Asia, including Malaya, had played an important role in modern Chinese history by raising funds and rallying support for Dr Sun’s cause.
Dr Sun’s visits and activities here had also left their mark on Malaya, he added.
Dr Wee said the exhibition also highlights the history of the Malaysian Chinese community, whose forefathers had worked hard to build their lives here and contributed to the country’s development alongside other communities.
“We must cherish the historical and cultural heritage left by our forebears, while continuing to uphold the spirit of diversity, mutual respect and coexistence.”
Organised in collaboration with the Association of Chinese Students in Malaysia, the exhibition brings together local students, Chinese students studying in Malaysia and members of the public for cultural and educational exchanges.
Dr Wee also announced that TAR UMT would hold its STEAM @TAR UMT 2026 Education Festival at its Kuala Lumpur main campus from Nov 13 to Nov 15.
TAR UMT Board of Governors chairman Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy said the exhibition provides a closer look at Dr Sun’s life and ideals through historical photographs and documents.
He said Dr Sun had visited Malaya several times between 1905 and 1910 to rally support from overseas Chinese communities.
One of his supporters in Kuala Lumpur was the late businessman and community leader Chan Chan Moi, who hosted him during his visits, and who later went on to head the local branch of the Tongmenghui, or Chinese Revolutionary Alliance.
Chan Moi’s son, the late Datuk Chan Kwong Hon, was among MCA’s founding leaders and later served as a senator and Selangor MCA chairman.
Kong Choy said these links showed that Dr Sun’s legacy is also part of Kuala Lumpur’s history and that of the Malaysian Chinese community.
The exhibition is open from 10am to 5pm today and tomorrow (Nov 11 and Nov 12). Admission is free.
Also present were Malaysian Association of China Students Alumni (Macsa) adviser Huang Bin and Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants Associations of Malaysia president Hong Chee Meng.
