James Yong elected new IEM Sabah chief
KOTA KINABALU: James Yong Hon Min has been elected the Sabah branch chairman of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) for session 2017-2018 at its 43rd annual general meeting held at Promenade Hotel here on Friday.
James takes over from Datuk. Hj Yahiya Ag Kahar, who was chairman for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 terms.
Among those on the executive committee are vice-chairman Jeffrey Ng Vun Ping and Willy Chin Tet Fu; honorary secretary Ali Hamid bin Hamid, honorary treasurer Mohd Yaakob Bin Jaafar and immediate past chairman Datuk Hj Yahiya Ag Kahar.
Completing the exco are committee members:. Kwong Kok Zee, Racheal Lim Pui Lang, Datuk. Chin Su Ying, Kenny Lok Chin Liang, Wong Chen Kack, Tan Kok Jyh, Warrence Chan Kok Peng and Chin Kit Yee.
The newly elected executive committee led by Yong was sworn in before IEM president Dr Tan Yean Chin from the IEM headquarters.
In his opening address, Yahiya thanked all the IEM Sabah branch members and its exco for their cooperation and support in making Sabah branch one of the most active and best performing during his tenure as the branch chairman.
Dr Tan in his speech at the AGM, briefed the Sabah branch members on the development and importance of STEM in Malaysia which is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
He advised IEM members to sit for their professional interview within the three to four years after graduation to qualify themselves for professional engineer status.
He also encouraged members to help promote the STEM education to address the inadequate number of teachers skilled to educate in these subjects. The goal is to get Malaysian students from the middle of the pack in science and math to the top of the pack in the international arena.