Singapore-Malaysia Relations under Abdullah Badawi

6. Renewing Educational and Sporting Events

Renewing Educational and Sporting Events 49 6 Renewing Educational and Sporting Events It may be recalled that in his Presidential visit to Malaysia in April 2005, President Nathan visited the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur to be briefed on the centennial celebrations by the University and the National University of Singapore and the exchange of students and staff between the two universities. The two universities share a common heritage, with roots going back to the Medical School founded some one hundred years ago at Sepoy Lines near Outram Road. The universities renewed their connection with the signing of an agreement on 26 July 2005 to formalize joint programmes to be offered to students and staff. Under the agreement, students in architecture, arts and social sciences can spend time on both the NUS campus and the UM campus in Kuala Lumpur. Architecture students can attend seminars on both campuses and do fieldwork together, while arts and social sciences students can attend joint classes on, among others, Singapore and Malaysian literature.1 UM will offer a scholarship to an NUS student to pursue a masters or doctorate degree on its campus. UM Vice-Chancellor, Hashim Yaacob, said, “Now we have come together, we should be able to forge closer ties, not only among academic but 06 S'pore-M'sia Relations 6/7/06, 12:30 PM 49 50 Singapore-Malaysia Relations under Abdullah Badawi also among our people…I hope we can exchange friendship, knowledge, build our nations together, and most important, live in peace together.”2 During the same month the Law Faculties of NUS and UM had in fact come together to hold two public symposia on “Developments in Singapore and Malaysian Law”. The laws and the legal systems of the two countries have very common characteristics arising from the British colonial period. One symposium was hosted by NUS in Singapore, and the other by UM in Kuala Lumpur over two weekends.3 The symposia programmes highlighted legislature and judicial developments in areas of mutual interest and applicability such as commercial, criminal, international and family law. It was also an opportunity for the two faculties to strengthen ties and the academic staff to socialize and get to know each other better. Earlier in Match 2005 a unique business cooperation between the National University of Singapore and a Malaysian management training institute was established. A memorandum was initialled between the NUS Business School and KUB Malaysia Berhad, paving the way for the former to provide management education to middlelevel and senior executives in the KUB network of enterprises and government-related agencies.4 The executive education programmes will be conducted through the Academy of Knowledge for Accounting and Leadership, an institute of KUB dedicated to executive training. The academic staff in the NUS Business School flew to Kuala Lumpur in June 2005 to conduct courses on a wide range of management courses. The programme will provide KUB executives an intensive digest of the latest international management thoughts and practices. It was mentioned earlier that when the Malaysia Minister for Education, Hishamuddin Hussein Onn visited Singapore in December 2004, he argued for the establishment of a programme for school children to socialise with one another. The details of the student exchange programme were announced in June 2005 when he visited Singapore again to have talks with his Singapore counterpart, Tharman Shanmugaratnam. One of the activities under the programme involves 12 premier Singapore secondary schools being paired with 12 similar Malaysian schools in Peninsular Malaysia.5 The students of paired schools will hold friendly sports matches, joint workshops in drama and debate and forums. There will be opportunities for teachers to 06 S'pore-M'sia Relations 6/7/06, 12:30 PM 50 Renewing Educational and Sporting Events 51 exchange views and best school practices. The primary aim of the twinning scheme is to provide bonding among the present generation of students just as the ever-lasting bonding among many Malaysia and Singapore students in the 1950s and 1960s. “There have been ups and downs between Singapore and Malaysia. But in the past, what has helped us get through the downs are the people-to-people relationships,” said Hishammuddin.6 Tharman said that when you put young, bright and enthusiastic kids together, they would do wonderful things for future cooperation and relations. In early 2005, some students from Singapore participated in the School Marching Band Competition in Malaysia...