SASS 10th Anniversary V1 | Page 62

2007 ~ 2012 | A NEW CAMPUS AND THE BIRTH OF SASS Dr Tang Siew Mun Dr Wong Chin Huat Dr Tang was a charmer, another one of those guys that all the girls loved disturbing during his lessons. But what I enjoyed most about his lectures was our discussions in class. Me, a few other students and him would always be arguing about world history and often ended up annoying everyone else in the class. An old boy of my school in Ipoh, he brought out the best in us in wanting to know more about the world. If you enjoy politics, this is the guy to talk to. Dr Wong played an important role in the shaping of the “New Malaysia” from 2008. Although he is no longer working at Monash, his influence on his former students is still very much alive. His concepts have been used at many of our alumni gatherings, and we always talk about him whenever we discuss politics. Dr Wong may just be a simple man, but he is a man who really loves his country and who fights for human rights. I learnt that it doesn’t matter which school of thought you’re from. History can never be changed. 62 From him, I learnt the importance of knowing your rights as a Malaysian citizen. Of course, there have been other male lecturers in the past and there are new ones joining SASS in more recent times, but, for me, it has been a privilege to know these men and to learn and glean wisdom from them. Aaron Raj graduated with a Bachelor of Communication in 2008. After a decade working as a video journalist with The Star, he is now a senior writer and producer at Business Today. ◀ Hard at work as a video journalist for The Star.