25/02/2026
🇲🇾 PELANCARAN “WATT A RACE 2026” DI Heriot-Watt University Malaysia
Pada 25 Februari 2026, YBhg. Dr. Mohamed Maliki Mohamed Rapiee, Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Humanitarian Development Foundation (HDF), telah menyampaikan ucaptama dan seterusnya merasmikan program “Watt A Race 2026” yang berlangsung di kampus Heriot-Watt University Malaysia (HWU) di Putrajaya.
Program berbentuk eksplorasi ini melibatkan enam pasukan pelajar daripada pelbagai latar belakang kenegaraan, tahun pengajian dan bidang akademik. Para peserta perlu menyelesaikan tugasan serta menjawab soalan di 15 check points yang memfokuskan kepada kepelbagaian budaya, seni dan karakteristik masyarakat dari pelbagai negara.
Menurut Puan Natasya Saat, Koordinator Program dan Pensyarah Kanan universiti berkenaan, program ini mendapat sokongan peruntukan geran daripada ibu pejabat Heriot-Watt University yang berpangkalan di United Kingdom. Selain kampus di Malaysia, universiti ini turut mempunyai cawangan di Dubai, Emiriah Arab Bersatu.
Dalam ucaptama bertajuk “Racing Together Across Cultures: Embracing Diversity for a Better Future”, beliau menekankan bahawa kepelbagaian merupakan kekuatan yang perlu diraikan dalam membina masa depan yang lebih harmoni dan inklusif.
Beliau turut menyatakan:
“Pada satu sisi, perkataan ‘race’ melambangkan persaingan sihat, cabaran yang membina semangat berpasukan, daya tahan dan perkembangan diri. Namun pada sisi yang lebih mendalam, ia mengajak kita merenung makna kepelbagaian manusia yang kaya dengan etnik, bahasa, budaya dan tradisi. Perbezaan ini bukan halangan, tetapi khazanah yang mesti dihormati dan diraikan.”
Beliau juga menzahirkan rasa bangga melihat para pelajar mengenakan pakaian tradisional sebagai simbol identiti dan warisan budaya. Menurut beliau, universiti bukan sekadar pusat ilmu, tetapi ruang membina empati, kefahaman dan literasi budaya.
Dalam ucapannya, beliau turut merujuk kepada pandangan ahli astronomi terkenal Carl Sagan melalui konsep Pale Blue Dot, yang menggambarkan bumi sebagai titik biru kecil dan rapuh di tengah kosmos, mengingatkan manusia bahawa kita berkongsi planet yang sama dan wajar bersatu dalam kepelbagaian.
Majlis berakhir dengan perasmian rasmi program “Watt A Race 2026”.
Semoga Heriot-Watt University Malaysia terus maju sebagai institusi pendidikan bertaraf global yang meraikan kepelbagaian dan melahirkan generasi berfikiran global serta berjiwa kemanusiaan.
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LAUNCH OF “WATT A RACE 2026” AT Heriot-Watt University Malaysia
On 25 February 2026, Dr. Mohamed Maliki Mohamed Rapiee, Chief Executive Officer of the Humanitarian Development Foundation (HDF), delivered the keynote address and officially launched “Watt A Race 2026” at Heriot-Watt University Malaysia (HWU), at Putrajaya.
The programme is an exploratory campus-based activity involving six teams of students from diverse nationalities, academic years and disciplines. Participants competed by completing tasks and answering questions across 15 checkpoints focusing on cultural diversity, arts and the unique characteristics of societies around the world.
According to Madam Natasya Saat, Programme Coordinator and Senior Lecturer, the initiative received grant support from the headquarters of Heriot-Watt University in the United Kingdom. In addition to its Malaysia campus, the university also operates a branch in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
In his keynote speech entitled “Racing Together Across Cultures: Embracing Diversity for a Better Future”, Dr. Maliki emphasised that diversity is a strength to be celebrated.
He stated:
“On one level, the word ‘race’ represents healthy competition, a constructive challenge that builds teamwork, resilience and personal growth. More profoundly, it invites us to reflect on the richness of human diversity. Across the world, we see a tapestry of ethnicities, languages, cultures and traditions. These differences are not obstacles, they are treasures.”
He also expressed his delight in seeing students proudly wearing traditional attire, describing clothing as a symbol of history, identity and pride. He reminded students that universities are not merely centres of knowledge, but spaces that nurture empathy, understanding and cultural literacy.
In his speech, he referenced the vision of Carl Sagan in Pale Blue Dot, which describes Earth as a tiny, fragile point in the vast cosmos, a humbling reminder that humanity shares one planet and must unite despite differences.
The event concluded with the official declaration of the opening of “Watt A Race 2026”.
May Heriot-Watt University Malaysia continue to thrive as a global institution that celebrates diversity and nurtures socially conscious, globally minded graduates.
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