University of Canterbury urged to provide more information, collaboration, and expertise to help develop Sarawak

Ting (3rd left), Hamid (4th left), De la Ray (centre) and others at the UC Kuching Alumni dinner at Sarawak Club.

By Wilfred Pilo

KUCHING, Sept 26: University of Canterbury (UC), Kuching Alumni Ambassador Dato Ir Sr Alex KK Ting has urged the university to provide more information on how it could collaborate to provide expertise to help develop Sarawak.

Ting pointed out that UC could offer and share ideas and do research with organisations in Sarawak, as well as have more undergraduates and post-graduates trained in a wide range of fields.

“The UC delegation visit here is a fantastic opportunity for Sarawak and the university. They visited the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) and Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC).

“We had shown them our projects and research works of these government-linked companies, and the UC Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cheryl de la Rey, had in-depth discussions with them on how to work together,” he told reporters at the UC Alumni Dinner Kuching Chapter at Sarawak Club last night.

Ting believed that UC had a lot to offer Sarawak by sharing much-needed information, which could be disseminated to the media.

“At least let us know that there are so many other areas that Sarawak students can go and train as experts.

“There are 350 UC alumni in the Kuching City community here who now hold many senior positions both in the government and commerce.”

He said that UC Kuching City alumni are committed to nurturing future talent from Sarawak, where for the last eight years since 2012, they have awarded NZD$10,000 annually to a deserving student.

“We urge UC to be proactive and to come more often with more information on various opportunities in what they could do to assist Sarawak in our development goals.”

Ting (left) presents De la Ray with a memento at the UC Kuching Alumni dinner at Sarawak Club.

Earlier in her speech, UC Vice Chancellor Professor Cheryl de le Ray highlighted Sarawak as a place of opportunity with an exceptional vision for the future.

She said she was impressed and inspired by a joint plan to work with Sarawak and for UC’s spectacular future.

De la Ray shared that the university’s business school is expanding the opportunity for their students to come to Malaysia with the hope Sarawak could host them and discuss business-to-business investment opportunities.

She revealed she had a conversation with Petros on how UC could work together to reproduce the skills and importantly, leaders with visions and good plans from cohesion that benefits the community.

She added that despite the complicated technology in the world today, what matters most is people-to-people connection.

“It is people-to-people connections that we want to nurture, foster and grow because that is how we learn from one another.

“And that is how we can work best to make sure that the legacy we leave for the future is the legacy our future generation will be proud of, “she said.

More than 100 people attended the dinner. Among those present was the New Zealand Honourary Consul for Sarawak Tan Sri Hamid Bugo. — DayakDaily