KUALA LUMPUR – The government will be channelling an additional RM1 million allocation to Kursi Siddiq Fadzil in Universiti Selangor (Unisel), said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The chair, launched in February last year alongside the Siddiq Fadzil Institute of Thought and Leadership, encourages research to commemorate the works of the late Prof Datuk Siddiq Fadzil.
Siddiq, who passed away in August 2021, is the father of Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, with his works centering around Islam, plurality, and nation-building.
Delivering a speech at the university, Anwar expressed his hopes that the funding will encourage students to formulate ideas based on educational principles guided by national values.
“I have full confidence that our students from Unisel and other institutions will be able to think of ways to better the nation.
“This can only be done if we make sure that our society remains united through an education system that is based on the spirit of unity, which is founded by a belief in our race, country, and religion,” he said.
He also commended Unisel president and vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Mohammad Redzuan Othman as well as Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari for the success recorded by the university, which Anwar labelled as “the only state-sponsored university that can compete with national universities”.
A former Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia president, Siddiq was also Institut Darul Ehsan chairman and Wadah Pencerdasan Umat Malaysia president at the time of his passing.
He was formerly president of the Society of Universiti Malaya Muslim Students and the National Society of Muslim Students Malaysia. – The Vibes, February 9, 2023
