UTP Convocation 2014

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,
Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Salam Sejahtera dan Salam 1Malaysia

Yang Berusaha, Puan Raiha Azni Abdul Rahman, Pengerusi Lembaga Pengarah, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS,

Yang Berbahagia, Datuk Ir Dr Abdul Rahim Haji Hashim, Naib Canselor Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS,

Ahli-ahli Lembaga Pengarah, Wakil-wakil Universiti, Wakil-wakil Industri, Ahli-ahli Senat, Ahli-ahli Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Universiti, Dif-dif Kehormat, para kakitangan universiti, serta yang diraikan – para ibu-bapa dan graduan-graduan yang dikasihi sekalian, Graduating class of 2014,

2. Alhamdulillah, segala pujian hanyalah untuk Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala di atas limpah rahmat serta dengan izinNya jua, dapat kita bersama-sama pads petang ini sempena Majlis Konvokesyen Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS kali ke -14. Saya ingin merakamkan ucapan setinggi-tinggi tahniah kepada para graduan yang telah menerima ijazah masing-masing para hari yang sungguh bermakna ini. Pada hari ini, anda akan meninggalkan kampus UTP yang pasti telah merakamkan seribu kenangan pahit-manis kehidupan sebagai seorang pelajar. Mulai hari ini, anda akan mendukung cita-cita dan aspirasi baru keluarga dan masyarakat. Harapan kita amatlah tinggi untuk setiap anak-didik yang bakal melangkah keluar Majlis ini dengan segulung ijazah. Untuk menyumbang kepada masyarakat, lebih daripada apa yang diterima selama ini. Untuk memimpin diri dan keluarga dalam merealisasikan aspirasi Negara. Untuk menjadi kebanggaan keluarga. Untuk menjadi kebanggaan Negara.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

3. Convocation is an important milestone. I believe you will never forget where you were and how you felt on 19th October 2014. You will never forget the dearest and the nearest who celebrated with you. On top of that, I urge to never forget one more thing.

4. Don’t ever forget the feeling of ecstasy, satisfaction and fulfilment that comes when being rewarded for hard work. Graduation elicits these emotions. Remembering this will serve us well in life.

5. Today, is the first day of the rest of your life. Today, you have fulfilled the dreams of your parents and family to be called a graduate. Today, is also the day you have signed up for greater responsibilities – for yourself, your family and the Nation.

Graduating Class,

STRIVING FOR THE BEST

6. The title ‘graduate’ is as much an obligation as it is a reward. It is an obligation to settle for nothing less than the best one can give. That is the mantra that UTP has strived to instil in every one of our graduates. Not only to be the best in the class, in the department or in the company – but to be the best one can be. We compete – not with others, but with ourselves. Everyday we wake up, we must compete with ourself of yesterday. To be better than yesterday.

7. This is not an impossible proposition. In fact, nothing is more possible than to win the competition with ourself. For today, we are wiser than yesterday – thanks to the experiences and lessons learnt in the past 24 hours. The feedback we received. The observations we made. The skills we picked up. Today, we are better equipped than yesterday to face our challenges.

8. Now, imagine if every one of us signs up for this competition with ourselves. Imagine how much better we – collectively – can be. As the alumni of UTP, as a community and as a Nation!

9. Competing with other colleagues and Nations may be a useful yardstick and an ego booster. But it is a terrible disservice to ourselves. It essentially limits our capacity to grow and be the best we could be. For we limit ourselves to be only better than the next person. A self-imposed limitation.

10. This is just like a game of Golf. In Golf, we are only competing against ourselves. There are many opportunities to cheat because the course is vast and on many occasions, no one is watching. Some allow a mulligan, minus a few strokes, use extra clubs. The point is, we can pretend we are good. On the other hand, we can follow all the rules and make it a point to be better than our last game. It doesn’t really matter where the other guy is. It matters that we play better than our last best game. There is no limit as to what our best game could be. With integrity.

11. This is unlike a 100 metre dash, where all that matters is to beat the fastest guy in our field. If the rest of the competitors are a level below us, there is really no need to push ourselves. We just need to beat them. Clocking one of our personal worst time is still OK – as long as we beat the rest of the field.

12. I urge you to view work and life like playing golf. Don’t live a life of 100 metre dash. That will be a disservice to ourselves.

Dear Graduands,

INNOVATION

13. As a university with a niche in technology-focused Oil & Gas industry, UTP is built on the foundations of research, innovation and creativity. The University is committed to the expansion of knowledge. And continuous search for technological advancements through innovation. This is an ideal we instil in our graduates from the very beginning. When we step into our chosen organisations, we must carry this torch of innovation to light our career path. To stay away from the beaten path and chart new paths of discovery. To discover better ways to fulfil a task. Faster ways to realise our aspirations.

14. When we say innovation, it is not only in search of new technologies but also in our behaviour and mindset. Innovation is the nemesis of status quo. The two cannot cohabitate. We need to nurture and grow a mindset of innovation to truly fulfil our amanah, and our potential, as productive members of a society. To fulfil our amanah as worthy members of an organisation. Nurture a mindset that always seeks to understand a given role or task first, rather than one that jumps to complete it. Mindset that questions ‘How else can this be done’, before rushing to ‘what needs to be done next?’ Mindset that ever questions ‘Does this need to be done? ‘

15. We need to explore better ways of completing a given task. We also need to question the relevancy of a task in achieving the desired results. Throughout my career, I have discovered – and discarded – process that were obsolete, that have gone past their shelf-life, but that continued to be followed simply because no one questioned the status-quo.

Challenge the status-quo, not for the sake of challenging but for the sake of improvement.

Graduating Class of 2014,

INTEGRITY

16. As your student life fades into the background and the working life comes charging at you, life will become more challenging. No doubts about it. But, it will also become more interesting. Without challenges, life becomes just another phase to get through – almost set to auto-cruise to hover over obstacles and avoid mishaps. But what is the fun in that? Switch off the auto-cruise, tackle the challenges head-on, don’t avoid them. Strive even in the face of mistakes. Not repeating mistakes made by others in the course of the ordinary – but new mistakes with calculated risks – in search of the extraordinary. As the saying goes, if you haven’t made any mistakes, you haven’t tried hard enough. You haven’t given your best.

17. How do we know we are giving our best? That our mistakes are not due to negligence but due to our eagerness and commitment to improve? Who will be the judge of that? What are the yardsticks?

18. Only we would know. And that brings me to my last message – hold fast to the value of INTEGRITY. That is the measure of a man. Not what others say, not what people think or how they judge. Our lives are best measured by our own yardstick. Integrity. It is not just avoiding corruption. It is about being true to ourselves. It is about giving our best in every single task we undertake. There is more satisfaction to be derived in knowing we have given our best even when we fail. Conversely, there is less satisfaction in winning when we have not given our best.

19. There is more satisfaction in scoring our best golf score, then running just fast enough to beat the rest in a 100 metre dash.

To my colleagues in UTP,

20. My deepest appreciation for your hard work, support, encouragement and prayers. I share your pride in witnessing how our graduates today have grown over the past four years as they dashed through the hallways, stayed through the night and persevered through the years. I sincerely thank each and every one of you for your dedication and commitment in nurturing our future generation. Year after year. For the past 14 years. And many more decades and centuries to come, InsyaAllah.

Para graduan yang saya kasihi,

21. Apabila anda berjaya dalam bidang kerjaya yang diceburi, dan menjadi kebanggaan universiti ini, kenanglah kembali mereka yang telah menabur bakti, membimbing serta mendoakan kejayaan anda. Ibu bapa dan penjaga, keluarga, rakan-rakan, para pensyarah dan kakitangan universiti, penaja-penaja. Janganlah kita sekali-kali lupa akan asal usul diri kita. Kampung halaman kita. Ambillah peluang yang masih ada ini untuk membalas jasa dan budi ibu bapa dan penjaga anda. Curahkanlah kasih sayang anda dan kenangilah pengorbanan mereka sejak anda dilahirkan sehingga berjaya bergelar seorang graduan. Sesungguhnya, jasa dan pengorbanan ibu bapa dan penjaga anda tidak mungkin dapat dibalas walau dengan bergunung emas mahupun wang ringgit. Restu dari ibu bapa anda akan menentukan kejayaan anda di masa hadapan, InsyaAllah.

Beloved Graduands,

22. Convocation is not the end of your relationship with the university, but it is a fresh new beginning. You have now become a UTP Alumni. I encourage you to contribute actively to the UTP Alumni and make UTP a better place for our future generations. Whenever you are here in the vicinity of Bandar Seri Iskandar, do take the opportunity to drop by and meet the UTP students. They will appreciate your advice and guidance as an alumnus. Just as you were, I am sure, thankful for the same from your seniors.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

23. On behalf of the University, allow me once again to express my sincere appreciation to all parents and guardians. You are the inspiration to our graduates. I also hope that every one present here, collectively, will continue to guide, advise and encourage our graduates, our children, to become productive members of the workforce, active members of the society, and responsible citizens of our country and our world.

24. Graduands, whichever is your country of birth, you share one common trait. You are now a UTP alumni. Make UTP proud, fly the flag high. You are in this hall today because you believed in the ideals espoused by UTP. You believed in the capabilities of UTP to transform your lives. This must be continued. UTP must continue to attract the best talents. To attract the best, we need to prove we produce the best. Competent, savvy and market ready. You came because of UTP’s reputation. Now that reputation depends on your actions. Go out there and show what we are made of!

25. The measure of a university is not in the number of graduates we produce, it is in the number of lives touched and improved by our graduates. So, the work is not yet done. It has just begun.

On that note, I wish you a fulfilling life in your chosen path.

Wabillahi taufik wal-hidayah, Wassalamu’alaikum, Warahmatullahi wabarakatuh