KUALA NERUS: Umno veteran Tan Sri Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar has reiterated that he is still very much an Umno member.
The magistrate-turned-former Cabinet minister, who had previously served in the Foreign, Home, Justice and Defence portfolios, said that he was born in the Umno fold and would continue to remain loyal.
“I am very much a person who believes that if you want to change, you change from the beginning.
“I do not want to see destruction but a Malaysia that will progress,” said Syed Hamid after presenting a keynote address at the ‘3rd CHREST International Conference 2018’ at the TH Hotel and Convention Centre.
The event, themed ‘Nurturing Human Capital amidst the 4th Industrial Revolution’, was hosted by the Centre for Human Resource Studies (CHREST) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia based in Bangi, Selangor.
Asked on political veterans, he said he was not sure if there were any who could be classified as such.
“Veterans in politics are not like veterans in the army. Either you serve (in politics) actively or you are not there.
“A lot of my people asked me, which side am I on? I think I am still a member of Umno and will continue to do so,”
Syed Hamid said in reference to recent news reports that he had switched his allegiance to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the run-up to the forthcoming 14th General Election.
On the conference, Syed Hamid said the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4) will be a period of many challenges and opportunities for society, governments, businesses, organisations and individuals.
“This is an era that brings to the forefront previously disjointed fields like artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, nanotechnology, three-dimensional printing, genetics and biotechnology to enable collaboration between humans and machines.
“On the down side, the risks will involve disruptive effects on business models and labour markets over the next five years, with tremendous change in the skills needed to survive in this new landscape,” he said.
Syed Hamid took a leaf from former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who had said that human capital was considered as one of the most important assets for success of the Malaysian economy and in the overall development of our nation.
“In 2011, Tun Abdullah placed emphasis on this point by saying only a person who is equipped with knowledge, skills, good moral values and an open mind, could propel the nation to move forward to compete in the fast changing national and global market,” said Syed Hamid.