KUANTAN: Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail was awarded an honorary doctorate in Islamic Economics and Banking by Yarmouk University, Jordan, today.
The award was presented by Yarmouk University President Professor Dr Islam Massad at a ceremony held on the university’s campus in Jordan.
Wan Rosdy received the doctorate in recognition of the strong and longstanding strategic partnership between the Pahang government and Yarmouk University.
In a statement, Wan Rosdy explained that the cooperation between both parties began in 2001 when a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Kolej Yayasan Pahang and Yarmouk University to send students from Pahang to pursue studies in Islamic studies.
He said the establishment of the Pahang Chair at the university in 2011 to conduct research in various fields that benefited both parties had further strengthened their ties.
“After 14 years, the bilateral cooperation has been further reinforced with the Pahang Chair MoU signing ceremony with the university here today. To date, a total of 363 students from Pahang have graduated while 78 others are still studying at Yarmouk University.
“I believe that the strong academic relationship between Pahang and Yarmouk University can be expanded into joint research, Islamic economic innovation, green technology, and sustainable development,” he said.
Wan Rosdy described it as in line with the aim to make Pahang a model developed state based on the principles of Maqasid Syariah (Islamic standards) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In his public lecture titled “Islamic Economics and the Future of Inclusive Development: The Pahang Model,” Wan Rosdy shared about how the principles of Islamic economics were applied in Pahang’s development policies.
He said since 2018, the Pahang government has recorded excellent performance, which includes consistent annual economic growth, notably with revenue collection exceeding RM1 billion and gross domestic product (GDP) growth reaching RM64.9 billion in 2023.
“It was achieved through political stability, investor-friendly policies, and efforts to ensure inclusive and sustainable development. On the same note, Pahang gives serious attention towards strengthening Islamic values, developing the Orang Asli community, preserving environmental sustainability, and providing contributions and assistance to all layers of the society through the Makmur Pahang Initiative,” he said.
Wan Rosdy said he hopes that the strong bond between the Pahang government and Yarmouk University will continue to grow, and bring greater benefits to both parties.
“I would like to see more students from Pahang take the opportunity to further their studies at Yarmouk University and utilise the knowledge and experiences gained for the benefit of the state, and country,” he said.
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