King: Malaysia Must Strive To Produce High-Value Graduates In Defence, Security

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 (Bernama) -- Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah said the country should continue to strive to produce local graduates to fill high-value professions in the increasingly dynamic field of defence and security strategy. Therefore, His Majesty said the relevant parties such as Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM or the National Defence University of Malaysia) must continue to explore the latest fields of knowledge to ensure that the country always has a line of thinkers and scholars who are able to formulate long-term plans to protect the country's strategic interests. “All UPNM's strategic partners, especially the Ministry of Defence, the Malaysian Armed Forces and the defence industry continue to strengthen the synergies that have been established to elevate UPNM to a higher level,” said His Majesty in conjunction with the UPNM 11th Convocation Ceremony’s First Session here, Saturday. Also in attendance was Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah. Al-Sultan Abdullah, who is also the chancellor of UPNM, said the country needs to be equipped with modern and high-tech defence and security assets. His Majesty said this was to face the challenges in the security landscape which have undergone various evolutions and are increasingly complex as they involve new forms of cyber and electronic threats. “Therefore, an integrated strategy should be formulated to ensure that Malaysia has a strong digital ecosystem to remain competitive in facing digital transformation,” he said. In congratulating the graduates, Al-Sultan Abdullah also expressed his pride in the achievements of UPNM, which continues to excel in dominating the graduate marketability chart among public universities. “This clearly proves that this university has been producing quality graduates with ideal personalities,” he said. -- BERNAMA