Happy 43rd Anniversary, IIUM!

 


Today marks the 43rd anniversary of IIUM, and it instantly brought back a flood of memories.

I still vividly remember how, back in 2011, we did a special live broadcast of MHI from the university’s Gombak campus. Walking around the grounds that morning felt surreal.


For those who may not know, IIUM was my alma mater — the place where I spent six unforgettable years of my life from 1989 until 1995. Years filled with both beautiful memories and difficult moments.

Ironically, none of those years were actually spent at the sprawling Gombak campus we know today. For the early intakes, student life was far from easy.

When I first entered matriculation, our “campus” was in Section 15, Subang Jaya, around where Inti and Taylor’s are today. Our hostel rooms were converted shoplots, with 16 to 20 students crammed into a single room.

In the second year, we moved to Lembah Pantai after taking over the old Institut Bahasa premises. It was better — except for one semester when we were relocated again to Section 8, Shah Alam near Bukit Cerakah. Every morning we depended on a chartered bus to get to class. Miss the bus, and it meant ponteng for the day!

Then came the four-year law programme in Petaling Jaya. By then the university was expanding rapidly, while facilities struggled to keep up. Hostel life and classrooms became increasingly cramped.

So returning years later to see the beautiful Gombak campus felt genuinely emotional.

What struck me most during the broadcast was how much IIUM itself had changed. I saw arts and cultural groups involving both male and female students, alongside activities like muay thai, silent marches and even yoyo performances.



Back in our time, IIUM was still searching for its identity. There was an unspoken “battle” between students from religious schools and those from "secular" backgrounds like myself. Gender segregation was very strict then. Even inviting M.Nasir to campus once sparked debate.

Perhaps the most surreal moment of all that day was interviewing the Rector live on national TV.


As a young law student back then, I could never have imagined returning one day not as a student — but as someone interviewing the university’s Rector on live television.

Indeed, it was a deeply nostalgic and meaningful day for yours truly.

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