GOMBAK, 28 July 2017: IIUM students secured top spots in the International Student category of the 2017 Prime Minister’s Cup International Malay Language Public Speaking Competition held last Wednesday (26 July) at Putrajaya International Convention Centre.
Abdul Matin Mohameed Azeem from Afghanistan won first prize with his speech titled, œDihargayu, Bahasa Melayu (Long Live the Malay Language) while the third place went to Hasan Radwan from Palestine.
The first prize winner, Abdul Matin, said he felt blessed for winning in the international category, something that he has always wanted. He told IIUMToday that he used to watch the Pidato Antarabangsa Bahasa Melayu (PABM) and admired how participants were able to converse well in Malay, presenting their topic profoundly that he wanted to be a part of it.
Hasan who is currently doing his bachelor degree in communication with specialisation in public relations shared that representing Palestine and IIUM was something he was unable to imagine before.
œIt was such an honour and this event will stay with me for the rest of my life, he said.
The Pidato Antarabangsa Bahasa Melayu (PABM) Piala Perdana Menteri (International Malay Language Public Speaking Competition, Prime Ministers Cup) was organised by the Ministry of Higher Education with the collaboration of Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka, the Debate Council of Malaysian Universities and the Cultural Council of Malaysian Universities.
In an interview with the New Straits Times (NST), Abdul Matin said that he had lived in this country since he was seven and found Bahasa Melayu a unique language. The bachelor of Information and Communication Technology (KICT) student was inspired to learn the language due to people around him who converse in the language fluently.
Not to mention Hasan Radwan who was born in Malaysia shared Bahasa Melayus simplicity and beauty that strikes him to learn about the language. It took him approximately four months of training every day.
œI felt the desire to go further and seek more challenges in my life. I hope to join other public speaking competitions in the near future, Hasan described what he felt after winning the third spot.
Abdul Matin expressed his gratitude towards the people who helped him throughout the competition. The 24-year old also stated, œI will definitely help to promote Bahasa Melayu wherever I go and help out fellow orators who will be taking part in the competition next year.
A total of 52 participants from around the world took part in this annual competition including those from countries such as Palestine, Australia, South Korea, France and others.***