Look To That Leader In The Mirror – At 27th IIUM Convocation

SPEECH BY Y.BHG TAN SRI MOHD SIDEK BIN HJ. HASSAN
PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

AT THE 27th INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA CONVOCATION

8 OCTOBER 2011, IIM GOMBAK

Bismillahir rahmanir rahim

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, Salam Sejahtera dan Salam 1Malaysia

Y. Bhg. Profesor Dato’ Dr. Zaleha Kamaruddin
Rektor, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

Y. Bhg. Profesor Dato’ Dr. Md Tahir Azhar
Pengerusi Majlis Konvokesyen UIAM ke-27

Yang Hormat Ahli Majlis serta Lembaga Tadbir Urus UIAM

Timbalan-Timbalan Rektor dan Pengarah-Pengarah Eksekutif UIAM

Wakil-wakil Naib Canselor Universiti

Ahli-Ahli Senat

Dekan-Dekan, Pengarah-Pengarah, Profesor-Profesor dan Staf

Para Graduan Konvokesyen UIAM Ke-27

Para Ibu Bapa serta Saudara Mara Graduan

Y. Bhg. Dato’ Sri, Datuk-Dato’, Datin-Datin, Tuan-Tuan dan Puan-Puan

Para hadirin yang dihormati sekalian,

Alhamdulillah, bersyukur kita ke hadrat Allah SWT atas limpah rahmat serta keizinan Nya jua, dapat kita bersama-sama hadir pada petang ini sempena Majlis Konvokesyen Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia Ke-27.  Saya ingin merakamkan ucapan setinggi-tinggi tahniah kepada para graduan yang akan menerima Ijazah masing-masing pada petang ini.  Pastinya kejayaan ini merupakan sesuatu yang amat bermakna lagi manis bagi saudara-saudari sekalian setelah bertahun-tahun berusaha dengan tekun dan gigih untuk mencapai ke tahap ini.  Syabas diucapkan atas kejayaan ini.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

2. Graduations are intense moments in the lives of a parent and guardian, a graduate, not least in the life of the educator.  Today more than ever magnifies and amplifies those emotions given the world and the surroundings we live in.

SPLIT SCREEN WORLD

3. When you look at the world you are graduating into, you will see a split screen on projection. Each would present a different perception of the same world we live in. A world straddled by poverty, energy crises, global warming, revolutions, corruption, human trafficking but to name a few. Yet you will see on the same split screen a world bursting to bring the next best technology for betterment of humanity, a world that offers amazing employment opportunities in areas not even heard of a decade ago, offers the ability for one to work anywhere in the world without having to move there physically,  we are witnessing rapid urbanisation and modernisation even in the most war-torn countries, there is rising number of developed countries and greater access to education and healthcare, there is equal opportunities for men and women across markets, and most of all unlimited access to instant information for everyone. Knowledge once seemed accessible to a limited few is now limitless to everyone.

4. Given these paradoxical scenarios of the world, the life that awaits you outside these gates will be defined by events and principles different to the ones you may have been used to in the last 18 to 22 years of your lives. It will be different to the life you have been accustomed to here in IIUM.

Graduands,

RULES OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE

5. When at University it is very clear what you need to do to succeed. You make the credits, you make the grades defined, and you will graduate. But real life gives no such defined and readily made curriculum. The journeys are infinite, sometimes uncertain, oftentimes like a running role of movie with changing casts and scenes.

6. This can be frustrating for those used to defined rules of achievement and accomplishment. But here’s the trump card to keep in our back pockets all the time. University is something we all complete.  Life is to be experienced. Failure is a given in all our lives. There will be starts and stops along the way. But this much is fact. Failure is not the opposite of success. Instead it is an integral part of success. I have learned that the very things that go wrong in our lives are often the very pointers to what will eventually make the rest of our life right.

7. So have a high threshold for frustration. Knock on doors until your knuckles bleed. You will have many doors slammed in your face. But the story is never over till you say it’s over. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and knock again. It’s the only way to achieve your dreams.

8. When experiencing life’s starts and stops, highs and lows, do remember this always. The only thing that ultimately grounds us amidst what may seem like madness and chaos around us, is our faith and the strength of our character as a result of our faith in Allah (sbt).

Graduands,

9. Many will leave here and find a job. Some may return to continue higher tertiary. You may at various points say to yourself – why am I not feeling the passion for this job?  Why am I not excelling as I did at University, in this job? These questions are the gateway to finding what you will ultimately come to love doing.  We all have a speciality. We are each good at something, I believe. It takes this journey outside of University to find that.  So open the next page of your life with committed passion, find that thing you are good at and be great at it.

THE SUMMON OF LIFE

10. Having had a lot of time to spend at your cafeterias, you will soon find it a gift to stop for a mug of coffee at a cafe. The demands of working life can be consuming on your time. But make time to ask, “What does life ask of me?” “What is life summoning me to do?” “What is life trying to teach me?”  When we ask these questions of ourselves, we will soon find that one common answer to all three questions. This life doesn’t centre around us.  Our happiness and satisfaction in life is a by-product of the decisions we make for ourselves. It is directly proportionate to how we engage life, how we sustain our closest relationships and honour our friendships.  It is a manifestation of how we conduct our own character in our environment.

Graduands,

LIFE OWES US NOTHING

11. This life owes us nothing. It gives us what we earn. It rewards its participants based on the principles by which it operates. Many have said life isn’t fair. I beg to differ though.  The many examples around us of achievers, remind us that life truly is fair if we play fair. Life honours us if we too behave honourably towards it. Life summons justice when we are just to others. These are simple rules, but oftentimes simply forgotten.

12. There will be moments when we are consumed with ourselves, and with egos of our achievements. Ultimately, our task is to self dissolve, not self preserve. In the final analysis, I believe that our purpose in this life is not to find ourselves.  It’s to lose ourselves in making the world around us a better place for others.
Graduands,

BENTLEY & SECOND HAND CAR SALESMEN

13. If you think today marks the end to your learning, I dare say life’s greatest lessons will start as you leave here today. And so open your hearts and mind to new possibilities, new ways of doing things, new perspectives of life. Our way isn’t always THE way. There can be a better way. Find that path, otherwise you could be stuck at a dead end for a long time.

14. Even after graduation, you are allowed to say “I really don’t know the answer to that”.  Don’t underestimate the world around you. People see through people. People see through pretence. The world knows the difference between second hand car salesmen who sells more than the value of the delivery to a genuine Bentley representative, who simply delivers Bentley when you call for one.  As I speak, I also note that I for one, and many in this hall, I believe would not be able to own a Bentley.  My advice is speak less, especially on subjects you may not know, or may not have researched enough.  So work more and research more.  AND please listen more, engage more.

CONTRIBUTING BACK

15. The University extends its pride and appreciation on your achievements today. It is our hope at IIUM that our teachings of ethics and moral will be the guiding compass in your moments of doubt, as well as your moments of triumph.  The sole purpose of IIUM’s creation is to utilise education and knowledge in making a better life for all humanity, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. You are ultimately our proxy to making this possible, not simply in Malaysia but also across the width and breadth of this world.

16. Those graduating today will become the alumni of IIUM. I urge you to actively contribute to the IIUM Alumni in making the University better than when you were here. IIUM has formed some 15 alumni chapters in Bosnia Herzegovina, Maldives, Indonesia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Guinea, Thailand, Singapore, Gambia, Brunei, China, South Africa and Australia to name a few. Help it grow further.

17. On behalf of the University, I would like to also extend my heartfelt congratulations to all parents and guardians of students graduating today. You are by far the most important link and strength in the life of these graduates.  This leads me to my advice for all times to all graduands today – be kind to your parents and guardians. Their sacrifices can never be understood or even known until we become a parent ourselves, or until we have lost them. Don’t wait that long to realise their sacrifices.

18. Saya mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan syabas dan tahniah juga kepada para ibu bapa, isteri atau suami, anak-anak mahupun kaum keluarga terdekat atas kejayaan para graduan menggenggam segulung ijazah yang amat dicita-citakan ini.  Tanpa pengorbanan, sokongan dan dorongan insan-insan yang disayangi, kejayaan yang dikecap pada hari ini tidak mungkin tercapai.  Nasihat saya kepada para graduan sekalian, zahirkanlah rasa terima kasih dan ihsan kepada mereka yang disayangi, yang telah bersama-sama di masa susah dan senang.   Pastinya pengorbanan dan sokongan mereka adalah ikhlas demi kejayaan saudara-saudara sekalian.

Graduands,

LOOK AT THE MIRROR

19. As you leave these predictable grounds to a discretionary world, don’t look for white horses and flying angels to save you. Albert Einstein fled Germany to the USA in 1933 where he grew up and developed the theory of relativity. He subsequently developed the principles of nuclear bomb at Los Alamos in the USA as well.

20. Einstein did not need a scholarship to travel to Paris, London or Tokyo to develop new inventions. This was in the 1940s and China, Russia, Japan, Germany and even the UK could not have had the technology for him to have travelled to gather such information. He used his mind to travel instead. He decided to set the standards in his home ground. So when we lament we cannot achieve something without travelling a million miles, please remember Einstein’s achievements.

21. Tap into yourself, your own skills, and your own characters for greatness. Reinvent yourselves constantly to keep pace with growth and progress. That means opening yourself to risks and failures as many times as it may take for you to ultimately succeed. The best of leaders to depend on is that person in the mirror. You are the best leader that you must look to and rely on in making your next chapter a life worth remembering. I pray that each and every one of you will become an Einstein in the vocations that will ultimately define your lives!

May Allah bless you.  And, may Allah bless us all

Wabillahi taufik wal-hidayah.
Wassalamu ‘alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh