By Sarah Rashdi
GOMBAK, 20 October 2020: A forum held last Sunday (18 October) titled “Relevankah Mahasiswa Beruniform?” which was conducted fully in Malay involving collaboration of three different clubs in IIUM had enlightened participants on contemporary issues and further broadened their mindset.
Two panelists from different background had participated in giving their views in response to questions from participants.
The uniformed bodies which participated in the forum included Rakan Siswa Yadim (RSY), Civil Defence Club (CDC) and Kumpulan Latihan Kelanasiswa Malaysia (KLKM),
The discussion became heated following views expressed by Muhammad Alif Azhar, President of CDC who emphasised that the initial exposure to uniformed bodies took place since primary school days. However, the significant difference lies in the scope which had further expanded at the university level, hence this had caused the biggest turning point in the life of an individual.
Alif told the forum that he had no regret of deciding to be involved with Kor Siswa Siswi Pertahanan Awam IIUM (Kor SISPA IIUM) because he felt it was a good opportunity to acquire skills to deal with emergency situation.
Undeniably, he said, the brutal side of reality in life had the possibility of creating potential for people to experience house being on fire or road accident and other forms of catastrophe. However, Kor SISPA IIUM has successfully captured his interest as this channel had supplied a distant knowledge compared to what he received from the Kulliyyah.
“Interestingly, Kor SISPA IIUM, gave me an opportunity to continue my services by joining Angkatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia (APM) despite the fact that I have already graduated from the university,” he added.
On the other hand, Che Aidil Erfan Che Afero, an executive council member on Module and Training KLKM, generally agreed with Alif but he took this opportunity to add a piece of his mind into the discussion.
He said uniformed bodies are very synonymous with primary school students, and there are different parties claiming that the school has given much more complex training compared to a university.
Meanwhile, Cik Aidil Erfan personally rejected his earlier claim that joining the Scout based on his experience, had created a close relationship between students and the community, especially when students had the chance to work with the government to provide assistance in the form of services. He said the basic skills for students could be developed through participation in uniformed bodies be it the Scout or SISPA.
“My own experience in joining the Scout, where students were given the opportunity to solve complex problems by building houses built from bamboo, had increased my knowledge on survival skills, where students would not easily panic if they have to deal with emergency situation,” he added.
The forum was launched virtually via Google Meet and was graced by the participation of adjutant of Kor SISPA IIUM, Hon. Major (CD) Roestam Effendi bin Sijar, adjutant of Kor SISPA Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Hon. Major (CD) Norza Iskandar Helmi Abdullah and Hon. Captain (CD) Hjh. Nurul ‘Ain Bt. Mohamed Noor, who all gave additional meaning to the forum. ***