UTAR Caring Community 2016

Participants of the gotong-royong

The UTAR Caring Community 2016 event was held from 4 April to 9 April 2016 at Sungai Long Campus. UTAR Caring Community 2016 was a weeklong event that included a gotong-royong, an exhibition, and several talks by health experts. An exhibition was held for five days which portrayed liveable city concepts that highlight the need for a multidisciplinary approach towards 21st century problems.

It was hoped that this event would instil among students and staff a sense of care for the well-being of immediate society, while building relationships and networks between stakeholders through community service to promote social responsibility and the liveable city concept.

Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) gave a talk on maintaining a healthy and clean environment and how food premises are being graded in terms of their cleanliness. MPKj Assistant Officer of Environmental Health Roslinda binti Ismail said, “Bandar Sungai Long residents’ should be aware of the cleanliness grade given by the municipal council to the food premises, as this is the yardstick to determine the level of cleanliness.”

“It is important to raise the awareness among the public on the cleanliness around us, and it is important to own this responsibility as well as to persuade people around us to provide a greener environment for our future generation,” said Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) Clinical Assoc Prof Dr Myo Oo during his talk on rodent control.

The forum by FMHS’s Assoc Prof Dr Robert Chen and Clinical Assoc Prof Dr Ng Teck Han concluded that in the hopes of reducing the rising dengue cases over the years, law enforcement alone is not enough; it is the duty and role of each citizen, every individual, and the community to care for our environment.

Present at the gotong-royong event was UTAR Council Chairman Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, Vice-President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Assoc Prof Dr Teh Chee Seng, Penolong Pegawai Tadbir Komuniti Suzana Binti Shamsudin, Pegawai Bomba Kanan 1 Balai Bomba and Penyelamat Kajang Norzaidi Bin Din, Assistant Superintendent Tan Eng Bock, Sungai Long Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Alexandra Chong, International Association of students in economic and Commercial Sciences (AIESEC) Gary Yap, shop owners, Bandar Sungai Long residents, students, and staff.

“UTAR has always encouraged students to take an interest in the surrounding society and we believe the UTAR community can act as a catalyst for forging deeper interpersonal relationships and a more caring community,” remarked Tun Ling.

Furthermore, Tun Ling stressed, “Speak good words, think good thoughts, and do good deeds.”

Dr Teh said, “The key towards the conservation of the environment lies within human thought, and because it is easier said than done, we need to be responsible for each of our actions and realise the need of a certain level of responsibility to be taken towards the environment.”

Dr Lai Soon Onn, Deputy Dean for Student Development and Industrial Training of the Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) on his introduction to liveable cities noted that, “What we are doing today, we are doing for the environment as we seek for a better future and help UTAR to achieve transformative societal impact.”