NUS and UM enhance old ties
From left: Mr Wong, NUS Chancellor Singapore President Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, Prof Tan, Mr Mattar, NUS Golf Captain Lim Kin Choo, with HRH Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, at the official dinner held at the Istana
NUS welcomed University of Malaya (UM) Chancellor His Royal Highness (HRH) Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah and a delegation from UM on 28 April. This is the first visit to NUS by HRH Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, who is the Sultan of the State of Perak. The UM delegation, which included Vice Chancellor Professor Dato' Dr Mohd Amin Jalaludin, was in town for the UM-NUS Inter-University Tunku Chancellor Golf Tournament which was held over two days.
The UM Chancellor and his delegation toured University Town and Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum during their visit to NUS on 29 April. They were later invited to an official dinner at the Istana, hosted by NUS Chancellor, Singapore President Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam. NUS Pro-Chancellor Mr Po'ad Mattar, NUS Chairman Mr Wong Ngit Liong and NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan were among the guests at the dinner.
In his welcome address, Prof Tan highlighted that this year's tournament was special in three ways – it commemorated both NUS' and UM's 110th anniversary; this year was Singapore's 50th year of independence; and it was the first time that HRH Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah was gracing the tournament as the new Sultan of Perak and as UM Chancellor.
Said Prof Tan: "The real outcome of this tournament is not about the performance on the golf course but how well we continue to deepen and strengthen our friendships. The camaraderie built up over the last four decades is what distinguishes the UM-NUS Inter-University Tunku Chancellor Golf Tournament from being just an annual and ordinary gathering of golfing enthusiasts.
Prof Dato' Dr Mohd Amin Jalaludin also delivered a speech where he mentioned that the annual golfing tournament represented a shared heritage between NUS and UM, and other than being a celebration of the friendship between the two universities, it serves as a good networking platform.
Earlier that day, about 140 golfers from NUS and UM teed off at Sentosa Golf Club for the 48th edition of the golf tournament. The final round of games took place at the Orchid Country Club on 30 April, with the NUS team winning the golf tournament.
First organised in 1968 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the UM-NUS tournament is a mark of the strong relationship between both universities. Since then, the two universities have taken turns to host the tournament annually.
From right (foreground): Prof Tan showing HRH Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah the architectural model of UTown with Mr Mattar, Prof Dato' Dr Mohd Amin Jalaludin (in orange shirt), Member of UM Board of Directors Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Annuar Zaini, NUS Director of International Relations Office Assoc Prof Anne Pakir and NUS Vice Provost (Undergraduate Education) Prof Bernard Tan, looking on
