IIUM Staff Appreciation Ceremony Year 2009

SALUTATIONS:
– Excellencies, Members of Board of Governors,
– Honourable Majlis Members,
– Rector and Deputy Rectors of IIUM
– Executive Management Board Members
– Senior Officials
– Chairperson of IIUM Staff Appreciation Ceremony 2009
– Awards Recipients
– Ladies and Gentlemen?

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullah Wabarakatuh

Praise be to ALLAH s.w.t. the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

I am very glad and honored to be here tonight to officiate the IIUM Staff Appreciation Ceremony Year 2009 and to present the four (4) categories of awards to the recipients who are able to be present tonight.

“1 Malaysia, 1 Ummah”. I am delighted when I saw this theme was picked up by the organising committee for today’s occasion. With the “1Malaysia” concept introduced by our Prime Minister, we can see that no group is being left out. One Ummah meanwhile, very much suits IIUM as can be exemplified by the membership of IIUM’s Board of Governors and Majlis, the award recipients who are IIUM staff members, to the composition of the student body of IIUM, coming from more than 90 different countries around the world.

Brothers and Sisters,

The IIUM has been initiating the IIUM Staff Appreciation Ceremony since 1999 with the objectives among others, to honour the dedication of IIUM staff who have been loyally serving the university for the past 15 years; IIUM staff who had retired after serving at least five years in IIUM and any individual who had given significant contribution to the University.

Besides honouring the IIUM’s staff members in tonight’s event, we are also showing our gratefulness and appreciation to one (1) recipient of the Significant Contributions Award namely Dr. Mohd Daud bin Bakar, the former IIUM’s Majlis Member who was also the former Deputy Rector (Students Affairs) of IIUM. Dr. Mohd Daud was definitely an important figure for IIUM since he joined IIUM back in 1989 as an Assistant Lecturer.

Since last year, in conjunction with IIUM’s Silver Jubilee, the University has extended this appreciation to IIUM staff members who have been loyally serving the university for the past 25 years. I am very proud to announce tonight, that this group of staff members was the second (2nd) batch of pioneers upon IIUM’s establishment in 1983.

Tonight, we are honoring ninety six (96) staff members;-
– Thirty-seven (37) have served the University for twenty-five (25) years;
– Fifty-six (56) have served the University for fifteen (15) years; while
– two (2) are those who have served IIUM until they reach their retirement age; and
– One (1) Significant Contribution Award

Brothers and Sisters,

No word can describe how much the University values your contribution towards the progress of our beloved University. Twenty-five (25) and fifteen (15) years in service is not a short time. From the first day of reporting for duty at this University until tonight, I am sure there are a lot of memories to be remembered and experiences to be shared.

Recognising the long service of staff members would inevitably ensure continuous loyalty and thereby reducing the turnover of the workforce. However, long service and loyalty alone would not guarantee the success of our University in meeting the challenges, whether local or global. I would like to stress here that a competitive workforce is vital for the survival of our University in facing the challenges.

As such, we need to gear our staff members and our work system towards productivity improvement. We also need to have a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce to ensure a competitive edge. We should be committed to create a work culture that places priority on quality and productivity and the acquisition of knowledge and new skills to meet the ever changing demands of the job market and our own profession.

Thus, we must embark on a continuous training programme to enhance skills. This is important to ensure that our staff members are well equipped, especially in this era of technological growth and changes.

We must also draw on talented people not only across our nation, but also across the world, regardless of their position or background, to re-energise a passion for service to the ummah. We must sow the seeds of goodwill and understanding in every corner of this land, so that we continue to harvest the fruits of progress and prosperity for all Malaysians and Ummah.

We must seek to include and unlock the potential of our young people, i.e. the students of IIUM who will be the next generation of leaders, businesspeople, engineers, scientists, teachers and doctors. We must give them wings to fly.

Brothers and Sisters,

We believe that there is no word of retirement in life because even if we have reached the compulsory age of retirement of 55 or 56 yet we have seen many people who at the age of more than 56 years, are still energetic, active and full of life. Some of them are still working, mostly on contract basis and contribute even more with enthusiasm or contribute with even more enthusiasm.

The word “senior citizen” is a trademark to value the priceless experience gained by these people who continue to make precious contributions for the success of the nation.

Even though our University is comprised of various categories of staff members from Academic, Professional and Management to Support Group, all of us have one main responsibility, that is to bring together our University to a higher level of excellence, to a world class Research University. Our staff members are the engines of growth that can move the University to what we all have aspired as manifested in our mission statement.

Brothers and Sisters,

For the past 26 years, the IIUM has been faithful to its founding mission, serving as a beacon of knowledge for the international Muslim community. It has produced a generation of scholars and educators in various fields of learning, united in their collective commitment towards the furtherance of knowledge and the development of human civilisation.

I would like to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude to all who are present here tonight and to those before us, for the commitment to the vision and mission of the University. With your continued support, I am confident that IIUM will continue to flourish and will be able to meet future challenges successfully.

Finally I hope that the recipients of the Long Service Award would continue to give their best and also motivate others to do so. Without you, IIUM would not be what it is now. I urge us all to rise to the challenge of building a 1Malaysia which would also benefits and lead to One Ummah in general.

“Bukan anugerah menjadi ukuran tetapi bakti yang disumbang akan dikenang”

With ‘Bismillahirrahman alrahim’ I hereby officiate the IIUM Staff Appreciation Ceremony Year 2009.

Thank you.

Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh