PENANG, November 2015 – In view of the unsettling events occurring all over the world, the graduates of today need to be thankful and appreciative of all that they have received as there are many others being deprived of opportunities for education the world over and are facing struggles in their daily lives.

“While many of you are filling in the restaurants and fast-food eateries which can be found in many places throughout the country, do not forget that there are many others who are in hunger and have died due to malnutrition; and while you have the freedom to move anywhere of your choice, there are many more who have become refugees due to war and civil strife,” said the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Pro-Chancellor Tan Sri Razali in his speech after the conferment of degrees to the 779 graduands in the Third Session of the 52nd Convocation ceremony held recently.

He further added, we can clearly see the differences between the developed and developing countries, what more the poor countries; in fact even in some of the so-called developed countries, there are many displaced citizens and vagrants facing hardships in life. 

In fact in other places, we could see how food is being wasted among other things, excessive spending, technology and gadgets which are not compatible with such needs, such as the information and communications technology (ICT) which has a big difference in its effectiveness among many countries.

“If an opportunity presents itself, go travel around the world and see for yourself the different life situations the people are in, and I am truly grateful for the experiences that I have undergone in seeing the ways of life of different people in different countries,” said the renowned diplomat who had served for more than 10 years at the United Nations in New York. 

He further said, at the same time there are many organisations, including the United Nations, which are doing various projects to change the lives of people around the world. Among them is the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), an effort which has been implemented for the past 15 years since 2000, by focusing on  8 fundamental points, which are reducing the problems of hunger and hardcore poor, providing the needs for basic education, promoting gender equality, reducing the infant mortality rates, raising the standards for maternal healthcare, facing the issues of HIV/AIDS, malaria and many other diseases, promoting sustainable development and the development of global partnerships in promoting growth with commendable, if not total, success.

Recently on 25 September 2015, the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit which was attended by more than 150 world leaders were committed towards accepting the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an agenda for the next 15 years which are giving more emphasis on 17 fundamental objectives through what can be also known as the Global Goals. 

“I am stating this with the hope of getting all of you, as learned individuals, to be together in ensuring that such efforts would be a success, regardless of where all of you may be, each one having a personal role in its success and to take such actions wisely, while having a high level of integrity and accountability or else as what can be seen in many humanitarian crises as well as history from the fall of world civilisations, institutions and also nations.

“Whenever integrity was lacking, transparency and accountability towards the responsibility entrusted will surely result in a major tragedy, as moral judgement is lost in the pursuit of wealth and pleasure, and at the same time, considerations and moral judgement have been eroded. There will be disrespect in the trust and responsibility put on them by the leadership and the existing authority,” stressed Razali.

He also urged the graduates whom as learned individuals, to have a strong grasp on values relating to integrity, humanity and having mutual respect as in living together in harmony which begins from the family on to the community, society, the country and the world. 

“Even though there were many efforts of grand design done by everyone including the United Nations (UN), without the mindfulness from all quarters, we in the end would be chaotic and would destroy everything in our sights,” said Razali.

The USM Pro-Chancellor also urged everyone to do their own analysis using the facts and data in looking for proof on many issues as development can only be achieved through a high degree of integrity and accountability at all levels of society – those who lead as well as those being led.

“As learned individuals, the graduates are responsible in providing something for the community, society and the whole world and also raising their efforts to initiate changes and other measures which would lead to success,” said Razali.

Sharing his experiences of more than 10 years serving as a diplomat at the UN, Razali urges for all the graduates to explore their own capabilities and potentials to become future leaders of integrity and a source of pride for the university and country.

Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin

Teks: Mohamad Abdullah