Chancellor of Wawasan Open University, Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik, conferred honorary degrees on three remarkable individuals during a Special Convocation ceremony at Menara PGRM, Kuala Lumpur.
(FROM LEFT) TAN SRI EMERITUS PROF GAJARAJ DHANARJAN, MR PADMANATHAN, PROF WANG GUNGWU, TUN DR LIM KENG YAIK, DATO’ SRI NAZIR RAZAK AND HIS WIFE.
CIMB Group CEO/Managing Director Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak received the Honorary Doctor of Business; Chairman of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore Emeritus Prof Wang Gungwu the Honorary Doctor of Laws; and WOU founding Registrar Mr. R. Padmanathan the Honorary Master of Administration
In his convocation address, Tun Lim described Dato’ Sri Nazir as a “regionally acknowledged successful banker”, Prof Wang “a globally recognised and celebrated scholar of the Chinese Diaspora” and Padmanathan to be “a faithful university administrator of long standing”.
Tun Lim interrupted his own formal reading to offer some personal insights of the graduates. He mentioned knowing Nazir since he was 7-years-old following his appointment as Minister in the Cabinet of the then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak. “I went to the house, and saw this young boy running about without knowing he’s going to be a successful banker from whom I may have to borrow some money one day, ” he said in jest, to the laughter of the crowd.
TUN LIM SHARES PERSONAL ANECDOTES ABOUT THE RECIPIENTS.
He recollected that Prof Wang was “a founding member of Parti Gerakan of which I became president for 27 years”. He has known Padmanathan for the last 7-8 years when they decided to set up WOU. “A good administrator…I bark at him sometimes and he never replies. That’s a real, consummate administrator, good for the university. Sometimes don’t know we’re friends or not,” said Tun Lim, in his usual, candidly joking manner.
