UMPSA Vice-Chancellor pays tribute to farmers of Kampung Bentan, Pekan

PEKAN, 4 September 2024 – The Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), Professor Ts. Dato' Dr. Yuserrie Zainuddin, recently led a Gotong-Royong Agriculture Project with the farmers of Kampung Bentan, Pekan.

The programme aimed to strengthen the relationship between the Vice-Chancellor and the farmers, particularly to understand the challenges they face and explore solutions to support them.

Kampung Bentan has been selected as a UMPSA Adopted Village through the One Village One Leader Programme (Santuni Madani).

According to Professor Ts. Dato' Dr. Yuserrie, having a village close to the university campus provides him with the opportunity to engage directly with the community, monitor their activities, and offer assistance and guidance to address local issues.

"Hopefully, this programme will help foster a closer relationship between the leadership and the local community.

"In the long term, this relationship will strengthen social capital, meaning that the community will have a broader network to seek help, advice, and opportunities that will make them more competitive," he said.

The Santuni MADANI Programme – One Leader One Village is a special initiative introduced by The Most Honourable Prime Minister to enhance the potential of villages and build community capacity through continuous engagement and periodic monitoring.

Through this programme, the needs and socioeconomic challenges of the selected villages are identified, and solutions are proposed in areas such as education, poverty alleviation, health, infrastructure, and more.

At the same time, UMPSA researchers, specializing in various fields, are contributing to the realization of the UMPSA Strategic Plan 2021-2025, themed Technology for Society.

A total of 40 volunteers participated in the gotong-royong programme, which was organized through collaboration between the Industry and Community Network Centre (PJIM) and the Property Development and Management Centre (PPPH).

Also present at the event were the Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Centre for Industry and Community Linkages), Professor Datin Ts. Dr. Mimi Sakinah Abdul Munaim, and PPPH Director, Ts. Izwan Ismail.

By: Siti Nur Azwin Zulkapri, Centre for Corporate Communications

Translation by: Aminatul Nor Mohamed Said, UMPSA Career Centre (UMPSACC)