PL F b o o k l au n c h
Excerpt of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Hj Mohd Ali’s Speech
to find, and when they are found, their
genders should not be a deal breaker.
The 160-page publication features
thirty women Pro-Chancellors, Chancellors, and Vice-Chancellors of Malaysian public and private universities
since Independence to the present day.
Priced at RM90, the book is available
for sale at Perdana Leadership Foundation. For more information, please visit
www.perdana.org.my.
56 | P e r d a n a M a g a z in e 2 0 1 5
“I went to university at a time when going to university was a very big deal.
Only a few people were accepted to university then. It was a big deal for men.
It was an even bigger deal for women, especially Malay women whose families
often felt did not need to be educated.
Fortunately, my father was different. He believed in the importance of
educating women and he made sure that my sisters and I received a good education, even though we had to attend a missionary school to be taught. In fact,
he would severely scold any one of us if we missed school! Because of his very
strict emphasis on education, my sisters and I studied as hard as our brothers.
I was accepted to the King Edward VII Medical College and graduated as one
of the earliest Malay women doctors. I was also fortunate in that I married a
man, a doctor himself who later became a politician, who whole-heartedly
supported my studies and my medical career.
Ladies and Gentlemen: How times have changed. Nowadays, a university
education is regarded as the norm and not the exception for boys and girls. No
one blinks an eye if a girl enters university. In fact, it would seem strange if a
young person does not go to university these days. A degree is often regarded
as the minimum requirement of entry into the working world. In 2013, more
than 300,000 young Malaysians entered university and out of this number,
more than half are women.
The shift in mindset with regard to women and their right to education
and career has been a most welcome change. The change that has taken place
much more slowly is the presence of women in leadership positions, whether
in the private or public sector, and within our institutions of higher learning.
Fortunately, although very slow, this change is happening.
Today, twenty private and public Malaysian universities have benefited
from the wisdom and guidance of thirty-two women as their Chancellors,
Pro-Chancellors, Vice-Chancellors and Rector. They are all featured in this
book. In tandem with this, more women are also being appointed to senior
leadership positions within the management and faculty of the universities.
This publication is a tribute to all the women who have devoted their time
and energies to the growth of their respective universities. I hope that more
universities will give more women the opportunity to serve as leaders in future.
Here is to the success of our Malaysian universities – may they become rich
places of discovery, learning, and growth – for both men and women.”