Tuesday, January 6, 2015

THE ISDEV - BRUNEI TIES (PART 3): ISDEV IN BRUNEI DAILIES

An article on the research workshop conducted by three ISDEV lecturers was published in
The Brunei Times, Tuesday, 2 December 2014.



Newspapers in Brunei Darussalam are closely following ISDEV members whenever opportunity is availed for ISDEV members to be in Brunei Darussalam. The recent two trips made in December, 2014 by Professor Dr. Muhammad Syukri Salleh is testimony to this fact.

In the first trip to Brunei Darussalam for a Research Workshop held at Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) Brunei Darussalam on 1 until 2 December 2014, a newspaper article appeared in The Brunei Times pertaining to the workshop. The article mentioned the presence of three facilitators from ISDEV, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) who conducted the workshop. They were ISDEV Director Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh, ISDEV Deputy Director Dr. Zakaria Bahari and ISDEV senior lecturer Dr. Wan Norhaniza Wan Hasan.
The write-up on public lecture address by Prof. Syukri's was featured in Borneo Bulletin, Friday, 19 December 2014.

During the second trip, the views and mews of ISDEV Director Professor Dr. Muhammad Syukri Salleh is much sought after in Brunei Darussalam. This is evident with his recent trip from 14 until 19 December 2014 as a member of the ISDEV Research Team to collect data for the Research Grant on "Quality Management of Islamic Institutions in Brunei Darussalam".

As a respected figure in Brunei Darussalam who is known for his thoughts and works on Islamic-based development, the Academy of Brunei Studies (APB) of Universiti Brunei Darussalam did not miss a beat in inviting Prof. Syukri to give a public lecture on "Implikasi Gagasan Negara Zikir Ke Atas Strategi Pembangunan Negara Brunei Darussalam" (Implications of the Zikir Nation Conception on the Development Strategy of Brunei Darussalam). The public lecture which saw an almost full capacity attendance was held on 18 December 2014 at the Main Lecture Hall of the Institute of Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA) building. It was even featured in Brunei dailies such as Borneo Bulletin and The Brunei Times.
An article on Prof. Syukri's answers during the Q&A session of the public lecture was featured in
The Brunei Times, Friday, 19 December 2014.
 
Prof. Syukri's lecture had two main objectives. First was to examine the relationship between the Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB) philosophy with the conception of both Zikir Nation and Vision 2035 Brunei Darussalam. Thereafter to examine the implications of the Zikir Nation conception on the development strategies of Brunei Darussalam especially on the Vision 2035 strategy.

Another coverage - Prof. Syukri's public lecture appeared in Media Permata, Friday, 19 December 2014.

According to Prof. Syukri, it is of importance to examine all these three components to assess the positioning of these three conceptions in the context of Brunei Darussalam development. In addition a detailed examination on the implications of Zikir Nation on the development strategy of Brunei Darussalam is an effort to put forward the need for synchronization between these two components in achieving Vision 2035 within the context of Zikir Nation. To him the MIB acts as the mould to both Zikir Nation and Vision 2035, Vision 2035 is the engine that realizes the development of Brunei Darussalam and Zikir Nation as the safety gauge that guarantees the non-destruction of the said development.

During the Q&A session that followed immediately after his public lecture, Prof. Syukri took the opportunity to remind all present especially the scholars and the highly educated people of Brunei Darussalam to stay united. He stressed the importance of staying united and to celebrate and learn from each others differing educational background with the aim of making Brunei Darussalam stronger. In addition he encouraged the educational elites of Brunei Darussalam to be willing and ready to modify the knowledge gained from overseas to contribute to Brunei's Darussalam development.

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