Kota kinabalu: The Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sabah, Tun Musa Aman, today received his Instrument of Appointment as the fourth Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) at a ceremony held at Istana Seri Kinabalu. The instrument of appointment, conferred by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, was presented by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir. Tun Musa’s term as Chancellor will run from Oct 1, 2025, to Dec 31, 2028.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the appointment of Tun Musa, who is also the former Sabah chief minister, is significant in strengthening the close ties between the state leadership and the academic community. The appointment is seen as a boost to the image of UMS as a centre for intellectual discourse and innovation in East Malaysia, while also strengthening collaboration between universities, the government, and industry.

UMS further stated that Tun Musa serves as an inspiration for the university’s staff to continue serving the community and the nation. In addition to his role as Chief Minister, Tun Musa has held several key positions, including Sabah Finance Minister, Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, and UMS Pro-Chancellor.

Zambry, in reading out the Instrument of Proclamation at the ceremony, said that under Subsection 10(1) of the UMS Constitution, the Chancellor shall be the head of the university and shall preside, when present, at any convocation. Present at the ceremony were the wife of the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sabah, Toh Puan Faridah Tussin; UMS Board of Directors chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan; and UMS vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor.