PROSPERING THE UMMAH WITH TECHNOLOGY

Bismillaahir rahmaanir rahim

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, Salam Sejahtera dan Salam 1Malaysia

Honourable Professor Dato’ Sri Dr. Zaleha Kamaruddin
Rector, International Islamic University Malaysia, IIUM

Honourable Members of IIUM Majlis and Executive Management Board

Professor Dr. Mohd Adam Suhaimi
Dean, Kulliyyah of Information and Communications Technology

Honourable Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mashkuri Yaacob
Vice Chancellor of University Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)

Honourable Professor Dato’ Wira Dr. Jamil Osman
Rektor, Kolej Universiti Insaniah (KUIN)

Honourable Professor Dato’ Sri Dr. Syed Arabi Idid, Former Rector IIUM

Honourable Deans, Directors, and Senior Officials of IIUM

Invited Guests, Members of the media

Staff and Alumni Members of the Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology

YBhg Dato’ Sri-Dato’ Sri, Dato’-Dato’, Datin-Datin, Tuan-Tuan dan Puan-Puan

Para hadirin yang dihormati sekalian.

Terlebih dahulu marilah kita memanjatkan kesyukuran ke hadrat Allah SWT, atas limpah rahmat dan izinNya jua kita dapat bersama-sama di dalam majlis pada petang ini, sempena Sambutan Ulang Tahun Ke-10, Kuliyyah ICT, IIUM serta perasmian bangunan baru KICT sebentar lagi.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

2. I am indeed delighted to be here today on this momentous occasion. Allow me to congratulate the Kulliyyah of ICT on its achievements since its establishment in November of 2001. KICT’s contribution in the field of ICT has been recognised through some of the achievements that were highlighted in the Dean’s speech, earlier. Indeed, KICT IIUM can be proud that it too has contributed towards realising the Government‘s vision of Malaysia as a hub of academic excellence.

3. For the past 9 years the Kulliyyah did not have a “house”, so to speak, as it had to share facilities in the premises of other Kulliyyah.  Today, one of its best 10th anniversary gifts is to have its very own “home”. In this regard, I would like to congratulate JKR and other relevant agencies for their good work in completing the Kulliyyah building within the promised time frame.  So, here we are in this spanking new building of KICT, the home of yet another dynamic technology frontier, Insya Allah. And this is where the intellectual journey for even more successful achievements of KICT in prospering the ummah, must continue.

ICT, KNOWLEDGE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Ladies and Gentlemen,

4. Today, it is undeniable that the knowledge-based economy with ICT as a key enabler is a significant driver of economic growth.  Realising the immense potential of ICT, the Government embarked on the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) initiative in 1996 as a concerted strategy to accelerate Malaysia’s entry into the Information Age and in gearing itself towards the objective of a high income and fully developed nation.  Since then the institutional and policy framework for ICT has been strengthened to leverage on ICT to support national economic growth and development. This can be seen through the formation of MIMOS, the establishment of relevant agencies and regulatory bodies such as the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), CyberSecurity Malaysia, as well as  the introduction of key strategic national policies such as the National IT Agenda, MyICMS 886, Critical National Information Infrastructure, National Cyber-Security Policy, and the Malaysian Public Sector Open Source Master Plan, among others.

5. Today, in the context of service delivery and internal government operations, 35% of government services are currently available online while 43% of government services were transacted electronically in 2011. The numbers are increasing yearly and the target is to have 90% of government services to be online by 2015. Our on-going initiatives, investments and policies are aimed at positioning Malaysia to be on par with other countries that have made significant progress in ICT development.

6. In the Digital Economy Rankings, Malaysia stands at number 36 out of 70 countries, and by 2020 we target to be in the top 20 ranking. In terms of IMD World Competitiveness Scoreboard, we are ranked 16th out of 59 nations and we hope to be in top 10 by 2020.  Although Malaysia started early amongst our neighbouring countries like Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan, there is still much that we have to do given the exponential growth of technology and the requirements of the ever dynamic global and national scenarios.  In this regard, we need to move faster and should lead even more strategic ICT initiatives in the application and utilisation of ICT and modern technologies in improving our delivery systems.  We can pursue these through the Digital Malaysia initiative under the National Transformation Agenda. The adoption of Digital Malaysia is targeted to increase the share of high-value, knowledge-driven digital initiatives from the current level of 12.5% of the Gross National Income to 17% of GNI, which is equivalent to more than RM294 billion by the year 2020.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

ACADEMIA’S ROLE IN PROSPERING THE UMMAH

7. Academicians are in a position to advise the country’s decision makers on issues, solutions and trends for the advancement and benefit of the country. A university is not just a place to obtain degrees. It is where you do research, analyse facts and figures, conduct intellectual discourse, propose solutions to address predicaments faced by the society, and offer answers for the betterment of the ummah.  IIUM is no exception.  For a technology-based Kulliyyah, with emphasis on Islamic values, we are expected to be more responsible and accountable on the advancement of ICT for developing and prospering the ummah — its economy and social values.  Indeed this is a great challenge, but feasible, provided we are serious and commit ourselves to carry out our duties as Khalifah of Allah.

8. The world has witnessed and nations today continue to benefit from the intellectual and practical solutions worked out by prominent Muslim scholars, scientists and technologists such as Ibnu Sina, Ibn Khaldun, Ibnu Rusyd, Ibnu al-Haytham, Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, Ibnu Batuta, Muhammad ibnu Musa alKhwarizmi, Umar Khayyum and many others.  They were not only experts on issues related to Islamic fiqh, tawhidic matters and practices, but at the same time they were respected scientific thinkers, logicians, mathematicians and engineers.

9. Life was much tougher and more challenging during the days of these scholars, as compared to ours today. They travelled far and for decades to seek and enhance their knowledge. Today, the advancement of ICT has made it possible for us to tap the abundance of information located anywhere in the globe within minutes and from the comfort of our homes and places of work.  But today we hardly hear of Muslim scholars and professors who are as multi-disciplinary as Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, Muhammad ibn Musa alKhwarizmi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Khaldun, and Umar Khayyum.  How can we regain such intellectual and spiritual capacity amongst our academicians today?

10. One practical advice would be to continue to learn, adopt, adapt, value-add and create new knowledge for practical application and usage in the real world. Learning never ends, despite the series of certificates, degrees and professorship that one has attained.  The concept of learning, unlearning and relearning is a continuous exercise for us, human beings, who are bestowed by Allah with aql and intellectual capacity.  Therefore, we must optimise our intellectual leadership, and deploy our expertise accordingly for the betterment of the ummah.  Be bold, but not rude, and always challenge the status quo!

INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKING AND RECOGNITION

Ladies and Gentlemen,

11. Globalisation has had a tremendous impact in all aspects of our economic and social life. And ICT has been the flag bearer of this wave of global change. Globalisation has brought in its wake, both good as well as bad influences.  It is up to the individuals to choose, prioritise and leverage on the many valuable opportunities and lessons offered through this global process. IIUM has to assume its role in moulding and grooming its students as the leaders of the next generation with the necessary intellectual capabilities underpinned by Islamic characteristics. They must be the ones who will make significant impact upon the ummah.

12. In a globalised environment, one can no longer be inward looking. We must measure our competencies against the best technology producers and players internationally. The university’s academicians, researchers and students must benchmark against the best around the globe.  In this context, I am extremely happy to note that KICT and IIUM has made its mark by being the first Malaysian university to qualify to compete in the most prestigious and established computer programming competition, namely the Association of Computing Machinery – International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC) based in Baylor, Texas.  KICT was chosen amongst the top 100 university teams in the world to compete in the coming ACM-ICPC World Finals in Warsaw from 14th to 18th May 2012. This young team is also one of the few Muslim student teams to challenge the likes of teams from Russia, Europe, the United States, Japan and China. Congratulations for putting the Malaysian and Muslim  flags on the ACM-ICPC map. Now is the time to show your true credentials and be the flag bearers for both country and creed. I wish the IIUM team the very best in the competition.

13. What is particularly impressive is that the IIUM students who have been active in the ACM-ICPC have been offered jobs and industrial training opportunities by Facebook and Google in the Silicon Valley. This is indeed a success story for both KICT and IIUM, one that should be benchmarked by other universities in Malaysia. In this regard, I hope IIUM together with the Ministry of Higher Education can take the lead to fully support such efforts in upholding and enhancing our international reputation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

14. In relation to professionalism and international benchmarking, KICT is one of the major players working actively under the Council of Deans of ICT Faculties for Malaysian Public Universities together with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) on the formation of the Board of Computing Professionals Malaysia or BCPM.  Should this initiative gain Government approval, BCPM will have the opportunity to be part of the Seoul Accord.  The Seoul Accord to become an internationally recognised leader in defining and promulgating standards and guidelines for the academic preparation of computing professionals.

15. Through the Seoul Accord, Malaysian computing graduates and Malaysian ICT service providers will have the opportunity to be recognised internationally.  As signatories to the Seoul Accord, we will join the ranks  of the British Computer Society, the Australian Computer Society, the Canadian Information Processing Society and similar organisations in the United States, Japan, Republic of Korea, and Hong Kong thus adding another significant chapter in the history of ICT professionals in Malaysia.

MOVING FORWARD

Ladies and Gentlemen,

16. In the 10 years of its establishment, KICT has made remarkable contributions to the progress of ICT development in Malaysia and in the Muslim world.  Among others, it has given birth to the formation of the ICT for Muslim (ICT4M) Biennial Conference amongst universities of Muslim countries.  KICT graduates have been recognised as PhD graduates and Post-Doctorates of repute in Canada, Sweden, Australia and Japan, carrying the Muslim ICT specialist banner.  I am indeed happy to note that KICT graduates are serving the ummah in their home countries by applying strategic technical knowledge such as information strategy and policy development, digital forensics, network security, and wireless technology, among others.

17. It is important for IIUM to ensure that its contributions in the field of ICT continue to impact the Muslim world and beyond. With this new building which KICT can now call its home, students, researchers, academics and supporting administrators will have the right physical environment to move forward in making more impactful deliverables to the ummah. We should strive to develop the best among our students and teachers so as to nurture the birth of outstanding scholars and practitioners, be they in the image of Muslim scholars of the past such as Muhammad ibn Musa alKhwarizmi, Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, Umar Khayyum, or those of more contemporary repute the late Steve Jobs, Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, to name but a few.

I wish the IIUM KICT family far greater success in your new “home” as you chart yet another milestone in your journey of prospering the ummah through imaan, ilm, and the advancement of technology.

Thank you.
Wabilahittaufik walhidayah
Wassalamualaikum warahamatullahi wabarakaatuh.