Convocation Address by YBhq Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon Chairman, Board of Governors Wawasan Open University (Tenth Convocation - Session 4 @ 9.00 am) Sunday. 8 December 2019 Al . Selamat pagi, Da Jia Hao, Wanakkam. am very happy and greatly honoured indeed to preside over the fourth session of the Wawasan Open University's Tenth Convocation Ceremony this morning. A2. First of all, I wish to congratulate all the 84 recipients of the Bachelor of Business (Honours) degrees in this session. t am sure each and everyone of you, your family and friends are truly proud of your achievements. Today marks a major milestone in your journey of life. Give yourselves a big hand! A3. This year marks the 12th anniversary since WOU, as Malaysia's first private not- for-profit university for adult learners, first opened its doors to part-time Open Distance Learning (ODL) students in 2007, and then to school leavers pursuing fulltime On-Campus Learning in our Penang main campus starting 2013. To date, more than 24,000 adult learners have experienced WOU's mode of ODL, with about 4,500 having successfully obtained degrees, diplomas and certificates. Ladies and gentlemen, Bl . WOU became a reality through the visionary dedication and legendary drive of Parti Gerakan's third president, the late Tun Dr Lim keng Yaik, and the generosity of the Yeap Chor Ee family in Penang, as well as many corporate and individual donors. Tun Keng Yaik first mooted, in 1999, the idea of an open online university, giving a second chance for higher education to working adults. With the vesting of assets from the Yeap Chor Ee Endowment Trust, effected by Yeap's grandson, Dato' Seri Stephen Yeap, the Gerakan Education Foundation was converted into a new entity, the Wawasan Education Foundation (WEF) which then sponsored WOU. B2. Towkay Yeap Chor Ee, who started as a barber assistant on arrival in Penang from China, penniless and uneducated at age 17, epitomised the legendary story of rags to riches. Using his client connections, he soon moved into grocery, trading of rice, sugar, rubber and tin, and eventually set up Penang's first local bank, the Ban Hin Lee Bank. Being illiterate himself, he valued education and donated generously to schools, temples and for the establishment of University of Malaya. He set up an Endowment Trust with a will bequeathing a number of his properties for education, including the majestic Homestead which has become WOU's iconic Headquarters. B3. Amongst the various corporate donors to WEF, the one giving the biggest amount was Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, who paid for the 12-storey office block behind Homestead. Born into a poor family in Kedah, Syed Mokhtar stopped schooling after Form 5 to help his father full-time in farming vegetables and breeding cows. He then moved on to meat packaging, rice trading, logistics, etc, which eventually grew into a big conglomerate of diverse interests. He has also been donating generously to education. 84. I highlighted briefly here the struggle of Towkay Yeap Chor Ee and Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar because they are indeed role models in enrepreneurship and corporate management for all of us. They started with no education or just basic education, without a bachelor degree in business administration or any other field, and yet, they could overcome so many obstacles, excel so well and achieve top business leadership. Ladies and gentlemen, Cl. In his address in the first session of this convocation yesterday morning, our Chancellor Tunku Imran Jaafar advised that, in today's world, "it is vital for those in positions of leadership in business, government, civil society to demonstrate openness and transparency." He also said "Transparency makes good business sense, since it enhances customer trust and confidence, builds customer loyalty and promotes customer satisfaction." C2. Our Tunku Chancellor is indeed a household name in Malaysia for his leadership excellence in sports promotion, corporate management and entrepreneurship, civic service, education and charity. I presented the above two quotable quotes from his speech for you to refer and use. This is because, all of you, as successful Bachelor of Business (Honours) Degree recipients, are now poised for a new phase of your career path and for new opportunities, where you are likely to assume higher leadership roles, presumably mostly in the business world. If I may, I would like to add that, a leader must always be committed to lifelong learning, so as to keep up with information explosion and rapid changes brought about by technological disruptions of Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0). Actually, the concept and practice of life-long learning is not new. The Greek statesman and philosopher, Solon, over 2,600 years ago was well-known for saying that, "l grow old learning something new everyday." The great Italian Renaissance artist of the 15th Century, Michelangelo was quoted to have said, at age 87, "l am still learning." C4. Many of you may know the popular Chinese saying, "huo dao lao, xue dao lao," meaning "to live and learn till old age." Also, "xue wu zi jing," meaning "there is no limit to learning." Muslim scholars in Nusantara, or the Malay Archipelago, in ancient times have advised, "Belajarlah walaupun ke Negeri China," that is, "seek knowledge even by going to China." It highlighted the determination to learn, because at that time, going to China was a tedious and treacherous journey by [and or by sea. C5. This year, there are four (4) Septuagenarians, aged over 70 years who have received their WOU degrees at this convocation. The eldest is Madam Kamilia Tan Abdullah, aged 76 of Johor, receiving the Commonwealth Executive MBA (CeMBA), Mr Koh Choi King, aged 73, of Johor, receiving the Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Sales and Marketing, Madam Mangayarkarasy Velayutham, aged 71 of Johor and Madam Wong Seow Chee, aged 72, of Kuala Lumpur, both receiving the Master of Education (M.Ed) degrees. Madam Wong has just enrolled herself for WOU's Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme. They are exemplary life-long learners. C6. Another exemplary life-long learner is this year's Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Memorial Prize recipient, Mr Chay Foo Soon, aged 41, a MEd degree recipient. He has earlier obtained his CeMBA in 2010, Graduate Diploma in Sales and Marketing in 2013 and Bachelor of Business in Sales and Marketing in 2016, all four from WOU. Indeed four votes of confidence in WOU! I told him yesterday that he should enroll in the DBA programme, to make it five! Ladies and gentlemen, DI. Besides commitment to life-long learning, it is crucial to have a positive mindset while carrying out our job and responsibilities. A prominent Confucian scholar, journalist and political reformist in China at the turn of the 20th Century, Mr Liang Qichao, wrote a short essay entitled, "Jingye Leye," meaning "respect your job, enjoy your job." I find this short essay highly relevant and very useful as a guide for myself and I would like to share it with you. D2. According to Mr Liang, we have to be respectful, and indeed grateful for whatever we are doing or are paid to do. Depending upon your religious belief, being grateful means that you accept your job and responsibilities as either Takdir, that is, God's will or Karma, causes and effects of deeds in cycles of life. Even without referring to any religious belief, you can look at it as accepting and honouring the responsibility entrusted to you in whatever position you are in, as long as you are still in that position. D3. Enjoying your job comes quite naturally as a consequence of respecting your job. Quite a number of people quite often feel that they are stuck in whatever they are doing. Even though they may work hard and give their best, they feel frustrated or even suffocated, and not appreciated enough. Even without openly complaining to others, they may in their own hearts blame others or even blame their own fates. Life becomes miserable for themselves and for others who work or live with them. D4. However, if we have a positive mindset towards our job and our responsibilities, things usually will click better and work to our advantage. Hence, being responsible at the work place does not merely entail achieving the KPls (Key Performance Indicators) of each and every piece of work assigned to us, in a procedural and mechanical way. It should be more than that. It is bringing a good heart, mind and soul to our work place. It is having the welfare of our work place and our colleagues at heart. It is working closely and happily with everyone towards the success of our organisation, for all to benefit. Our work place will then be a pleasant place for us to look forward to. It will then be truly "Leye" for ourselves and our colleagues. Happy and positive-thinking people working together are usually more productive, more effective and even more innovative. D5. In conclusion, I trust that, after your WOU experience, all of you have become life-long learners, dedicated to acquire more knowledge, more skills, including the soft skills of leadership, with more effective communication and collaboration, and with a positive attitude of "Jingye Leye," Let us make learning not only a life-long process, but also our way of life. I once again congratulate atl of you, with best wishes for your future endeavours. Terima kasih, Xie Xie, Nandri Wanakkam. Thank you. Ends .