DATO DR. IBRAHIM - CHALLENGER FOR OCM DEPUTY PRESIDENCY

Below is a profile of Dato Dr. Ibrahim Saad when he was at University Kuala Lumpur, prior to being appointed as FAM General Secretary in August 2005.

His unwavering determination in pursuing excellence in various areas of interest has opened up a cornucopia of career options. An educationist, a politician and sports manager all rolled into one. And now he assumes responsibility as the President (Vice Chancellor) of Universiti Kuala Lumpur. Yang Berbahagia Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim Saad is the man at the helm.

Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim Saad is a post-war baby whose destiny is to wear different hats as he lives his life to serve society. His contribution has been acknowledged in three distinct fields namely education, politics and sports.

Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim’s has gone through the works in education. He started off his career as a teacher in Kuala Lumpur Technical Institute and the Royal Military College of Malaysia. He moved on to become a lecturer at the Sultan Idris Teachers’ Training College. Shortly after that, he upgraded his career by joining the Department of Education at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, a place in which he spent a decade of his professional life. Not one to rest on his laurels, Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim indulged in academic research activities which includes pursuing two Masters degree in Education Policy and also Political Science, followed by a Doctorate degree in Education. He is an internationally acclaimed academic who has been honoured with various professional awards such as the Honorary Professorship in Political Science conferred by the Bangalore University of India, and the Distinguished International Alumni Award from the University of Wisconsin. He is also the first recipient of the coveted Lee Kuan Yew Fellowship Award from the Lee Kuan Yew Foundation, Singapore.

Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim is a prolific writer. He has written numerous books on education and politics. Being proficient in both Bahasa Melayu and English, he has also translated various books into Malay including “The Malay Dilemma” by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. He was also for a number of years, the Country Editor for the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. Having presented numerous papers nationally and internationally, Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim is a seasoned speaker and a much sought after consultant. He has been an examiner for local and foreign universities and a consultant for The Commonwealth Institute of London and UNESCO, Paris. On top of that, he sits as Chairman on various educational and business organizations.

Being a self-professed social activist, Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim’s switch in career from education to politics is a natural progression. Motivated by the strong desire to serve his society, Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim assumed political positions at the state and federal levels. He started his illustrious career in politics as a Political Secretary to the then Minister of Youth, Culture & Sports in 1983. Then, he stood for election and became an Exco member and was chosen to become the Deputy Chief Minister of Penang before becoming a Member of the Parliament. Due to his outstanding performance in serving the people and nation, he was appointed as the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and his last political profile was as the Deputy Minister of Transport.

Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim is a good example of a well-balanced individual. Aside from academic, he is also inclined towards sports. Having been born a little too soon at the time when sports was more recreational rather than professional, Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim has been the Vice President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for several years and the Team Manager for the Malaysian Olympic & National team. He is also the Deputy President of the World Pencak Silat Federation. Recently, Prof. Dato Seri Dr. Ibrahim had been appointed as the Chairman, Sports Advisory Panel under purview of the Minister of Youth & Sports. He is also the Chairman of the Steering Committee for the upcoming Commonwealth Games Melbourne and Asia Games Doha 2006.

With his appointment as the President (Vice Chancellor) of Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim Saad has come full cycle. From his initial beginning as a teacher, then a Political Secretary at the Ministry of Education, he is now heading a University which aspires to be ‘the’ technical university of Malaysia. The choice is apt. With his strong credentials and conviction in the need to upgrade the status of technical education in Malaysia, Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim is the right candidate for the job. His manifesto is to change the minds of Malaysians regarding technical education. He aspires to situate technical education at par with other education systems. He aims to ensure that technical education will be the choice for the crème de la crème so that the level of technological advancement in the country is comparable to that of fully developed countries. As one whom champions’ good cause, this father of five has a big task ahead of him as Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ibrahim is set to propel UniKL to the heights it aims for. God willing, he will make his feat. He has more than enough human spirit and perseverance to succeed. The man at the helm will definitely make his mark.