Speech by President Halimah Yacob at Opening Ceremony of Dr Muhammad Ariff Ahmad Research and Resource Hub

Professor Subra Suresh, President, Nanyang Technological University

Professor Christine Goh, Director, National Institute of Education

Family members of the late Dr Muhammad Ariff Ahmad

Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. I am glad to be here today to launch The Dr Muhammad Ariff Ahmad Research and Resource Hub or MAS RRH@LIBRIS. I am heartened that the organising committee has made this significant event possible despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The late Dr Muhammad Ariff Ahmad deserves to be given our highest honour. Affectionately known as MAS and fondly known as Cikgu Ariff, Dr Muhammad Ariff Ahmad contributed extensively to the Malay language and literature. In addition, Cikgu Ariff also played a significant role in Singapore’s nation building, performing pivotal roles in many relevant councils and advisory committees at community and national levels.

It is fitting that the Dr Muhammad Ariff Ahmad Research and Resource Hub is housed within the National Institute of Education’s library. As a former lecturer at the Teachers' Training College from 1959 to 1979, Cikgu Ariff left a significant impact on the hearts and minds of thousands of Malay language teachers with his wisdom, dedication in teaching and encyclopaedic knowledge of the Malay language, literature and culture. He was indeed a sage and aptly known as the "father of Malay language, literature and culture" in Singapore.

The MAS RRH@LIBRIS is a follow-up to the Muhammad Ariff Ahmad Malay Studies Fund set up by NTU in 2013. The Fund was the result of a ground-up initiative by the Malay community and organisations, namely Jamiyah, LBKM, MUIS and NIE, which saw the need to recognise and pay tribute to Cikgu Ariff for his invaluable contributions and achievements.  The Fund has helped to encourage new research and development in the areas which Cikgu Ariff has always been passionate about, such as the Malay language, literature and culture, as well as their role in education in Singapore and the region. It has also awarded scholarships and research grants to deserving students and researchers respectively for them to carry out research work in areas close to the heart of Cikgu Ariff.

The resources at the Hub are materials donated by the family of the late Cikgu Ariff. These include his personal collection such as the awards he received, articles, newspaper clippings, speeches and photos.

This treasure trove includes typescript drafts of Cikgu Ariff’s well-known works such as Sarah Pengarang Kechil, a children’s book published in 1960 which is touted as among the first few titles by local writers that promotes independent thinking, education and careers for girls.

The Hub also provides online resources such as the MAS Bibliography and MAS Manuscripts Collection that are easily assessible by a wider audience, locally and internationally.

I am confident that many more generations of teachers, students and researchers will benefit from the rich knowledge contained in the rare books, materials and manuscripts in this resource hub.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge the hard work done by lecturers from the Malay Language and Culture Division and the NIE library officers who personally selected, collated and transferred materials donated by the family of the late Cikgu Ariff. The retyping, digitising and annotating of hundreds of materials for this collection will certainly ensure that precious works of the late Dr Muhammad Ariff Ahmad reach a wider audience and stand the test of time.  I look forward to the hub’s continued efforts in igniting the love and passion for the Malay language, literature and culture, among our students, academics and researchers so that the legacy of Dr Muhammad Ariff Ahmad lives on.

Thank you.