MONDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER – Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) through its Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Heritage (FKSW) held the UN International Peace Day today that serves as a reminder that peace should be appreciated by all generations.

Dean of FKSW, Professor Dato’ Mohd Hamdan Adnan said, the peace enjoyed by the country especially Malaysia today should also be preserved to maintain peace and harmony.

“The world today is witnessing conflicts everywhere, making us live in a world filled with violence.   Statistics on the number of refugees or migrants are sufficient to explain the security threats faced by these people in their own country until they are forced out of their homeland.

“Peace is not the responsibility of the government alone but the people who actually play a bigger role in maintaining peace in the world,” he said when opening the UN International Peace Day Celebration at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Main Auditorium UMS.

Citing the example of the tragedy of the Rohingya community in Myanmar, Dato’ Hamdan said, Malaysians should be thankful for being able to live peacefully together and practice their religious beliefs without any problems.

“Let us practice peace-keeping, active in peace movement, not just as a mere observer,” he added.

Various programmes were held in conjunction with World Peace Day in UMS, that included knowledge-sharing on issues of global peace through the keynote address by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Richard Towle and an open session forum with him, poetry by FKSW lecturer, Professor Dr. Siti Zainon Ismail, Mohd Fuad Bebit and Ramzah Dambul, as well as singing and music presentations by the students of FKSW. – (fl)