Merdeka Speech: Please Care
by Prof. Dr. Waqar Asrar
Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, IIUM
from India

'This morning I went to a class, I saw the class very messy. The whiteboard was not white, it was grey. And rubbish all around the class. Then I told the students; 'One of the visions of the university is to be in international standard. Does this whiteboard show our internationalization? All the rubbish on the floor? International standard?'. 'No,' said the students. Then I ask my question, 'Who is the university?'. They did not answer. I said, 'It is not Prof. Dato' Dr. Syed Arabi Idid (the Rector) the university. It is not either Dato' Azmi (deputy Rector). They are PART of the university. You (students) and I (lecturers) are also PART of the university. So if we see these (rubbish on floor, and dirty whiteboard) what do we do? If WE CARE, we make a complaint, tell them (authority of university) that this (unwiped) whiteboard does not fit with our vision to be in international standard. Tell them! If we dont care, and we dont tell, who else? Do you expect that Dr Syed Arabi to come to the class to check wether it is clean or not? No! He has other things to do. It is WE that if we CARE, we can achieve the international standards..'. So I told them, 'Please make complaint..'

'And then I asked my second question, 'Who is Malaysia? Dato' Sri Abdullah (Ahmad) Badawi? All the cabinet ministers? How many of them in the minister line? 100? 75? 50? How many is the citizen of Malaysia? 25 million? Which matters most? If we see something not right and we dont care, and say 'tak apa lah..', what will happen? So, PLEASE CARE. That is my Merdeka Speech. Happy Merdeka (waving his hand to us)'.


Hehe. Budak-budak ni kat kelas tergelak lepas dengar speech dia (the fact that he IS a foreigner yet die bagi speech merdeka yang sangat-sangat terkesan dalam setiap antara kami). Die pun tergelak jugak tapi cakap 'No! I am serious! Please care!'. Dia da cakap pasal complaining ni da lame. Sejak mula-mula belajar dengan dia masa 2nd year dulu dia da galakkan student dia complaint klo ada apa-apa yang tak btol pada management, or anything. 'That is what the very nice box outside our office is used for (kotak komplen)' die selalu cakap. Since that memang aku akan komplen apa-apa yang aku rasa tak btol, macam sistem admin kat mahallah yang selalu nya kelam kabut time nak check in/check out. Aku pernah komplen ada staff yang tak mesra. Hehe. Betul benda yang Prof Waqar cakap nih, memang kita ada vision, tapi takkan la pemimpin nak tau semua benda. Memang wakil rakyat selalu ada vision nak memajukan kawasan dia, tapi takkan la dia nak pergi cek setiap satu inci kawasan dia. Kita sebagai penduduk (atau student, atau citizen) lah yang nampak apa yang berlaku di sekeliling kita. Kita tau apa yang tak btol. Kita bagitau lah pada authority. Baru la semua mission and vision bleh dicapai. Kerjasama. Cuma jangan komplen macam dalam lagu 'Negarakuku' da la. Tu kurang ajar. Kita komplen ikot channel yang proper. Bukan pergi surau, lepas solat lepak-lepak ngan ahli qaryah, kutuk-kutuk orang sana sini, ini tak betul, itu tak betul, lepas tu balik rumah tutup cerita. Tu bukan komplen. Komplen, kita salurkan pada jalan yang betul. Mesti ada reason and firm basis kenapa kita nak komplen. Contoh kat universiti, kalau tak puas hati atau nampak ada yang tak betul, file a complaint, sama-sama kita international kan universiti kita.

Cite pasal komplen la plak. Hehe. Tapi the point is, Please be Care. Kalau kita tak care, sape lagi yang nak care.


p/s - ada banyak lagi nak cerita, da siap tulis dalam PC kat bilik. Petang ni klo sempat, inshaAllah akan post. Nak balik muo ni esok! Baliiikkk!!! Baliiiikk!! He.