PUTRAJAYA FOI SET TO BE AN ANNUAL EVENT - ZAMBRY

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- The Higher Education Ministry is committed to making the Putrajaya Festival of Ideas (FOI) an annual event in a bid to establish Putrajaya as the ‘City of Ideas’ for Malaysia and the world.

Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed willingness to make Putrajaya FOI, which debuted this year, one of the nation’s flagship programmes.

“The MADANI government, under the prime minister’s leadership, remains steadfast in upholding the tradition of knowledge and the enlightenment of ideas to create an informed, ethical and competitive society.

“This (Putrajaya FOI) serves as a platform to bring together not only academics but also Malaysians from all walks of life,” he told reporters when met at the Malaysia Ideas Summit (MyIDEAS) held as part of the festival today.

The three-day festival, to be held until Friday, features various activities, including 10,000 job opportunities for visitors.

Zambry further said that the ministry has established an ‘idea bank’ at Putrajaya FOI, where visitors can submit ideas, opinions or suggestions to benefit society and the nation.

“Malaysians or anyone with unique ideas or valuable insights to address issues or challenges can contribute to this idea bank.

“These suggestions will be forwarded to relevant authorities, particularly the government, as we believe that ideas are essential for driving positive changes in our lives,” he said.

The Putrajaya FOI has brought together over 80 leaders, experts, academics and industry professionals to participate in forums and parallel sessions under the MyIDEAS platform.

Commenting on recent media reports regarding the death of a Reserve Officer Training Unit (Palapes) cadet on Nov 13, Zambry said the ministry is awaiting a full report from a local university before deciding on further action.

Earlier reports quoted the victim’s father, who alleged that his son died due to physical abuse, claiming the cadet was stepped on the chest and ridden like a horse by his trainer.

-- BERNAMA