700 UTARians had an opportunity to spend their time with the Minister of Transport-cum-Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) President Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai, and the Deputy Education Minister-cum-MCA Youth Chief Senator Datuk Chong Sin Woon during a dialogue session called Transformasi Nasional 2050 (TN50) on 28 August 2017 at Sungai Long Campus to share their aspirations and ideas. The session was part of a nationwide tour, which provided the young leaders with a platform to voice out their aspirations and thinking about what they would want Malaysia to be in 2050.
The two ministers were warmly welcomed by UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik, Vice President for R&D and Commercialisation Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei, Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre for Social and Policy Studies Chairperson Assoc Prof Dr Chin Yee Mun, and Department of Student Affair Head of Sungai Long Campus Loh Nyuk Leung.
During the opening remarks, Dato’ Sri Liow spoke of how the advancement of technology has improved one’s daily life and taken place over the years. He said, “Malaysia is currently experiencing a very fast growth, and I believe all Malaysian should embrace the change as it is the only thing constant in this world. Change is something that we have to accept and we should take the challenge bravely while making these changes. At the same time, I believe young generation should always uphold important core values such as mutual respect, consensus, unity, cooperation and harmony.”
“Being the Transport Minister, I contributed my effort with my team to transform the transportation sector in the country. We put in a lot of effort to improve the transportation in the urban areas. When we looked into the needs and wants of the people, we understood that the urban transportation was an area that we could make a big change. When we develop the urban transportation, the economy of the country can be enhanced at the same time. Malaysia is one of the top 10 destinations to retire to in 2017 and the only Asian country on the list. In short, I would say Malaysia is on the right path to undergo the national transformation,” he added.
Datuk Chong said, “TN50 is an opportunity for us to listen to the younger generation, get the feedbacks and collect inspirations from the future leaders of our nation. After 30 years, it will be the world of current teenagers. In order to become the top 20 countries in 2050, we need three elements including economic development, social advancement and innovation. The foundations of the TN50 are learning from the past aspiration and inspiration, and taking action.”
He also urged the student to be wary of fake news on the social media and said, “The reality is that most of the news on the social media are fake and I warn all the youngsters to check the source of the news and do not blindly believe all that you read. I also hope TN50 will bring all the young Malaysians together and tell us about their aspirations to form the plan for a better future.”
Dato’ Sri Liow (first from the left) and Datuk Chong (second from the right) signing on the caricature signing board, accompanied by Prof Chuah
Dato’ Sri Liow during the discussion
Datuk Chong urged the students to open up their mind and speak out their ideas
Dato’ Sri Liow (middle) and Datuk Chong (right) doing the plank exercise with UTAR student Zheng Jia Jie
Group photo after the dialogue
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