Speaking his way to London
A Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin student's confidence and eloquence has earned him the honour of representing Malaysia at an international public speaking competition in London next month.
Shah Nizam Mazlan, 20, who is pursuing a course in Teaching of English as a Second Language (TESL), wowed judges and triumphed over 12 other finalists with his 10-minute presentation on “Peace is not an Absence of War”.
“I didn't expect to beat the other finalists, but my focus now is to represent Malaysia to the best of my ability in London,” he said.
Shah Nizam won an all-expenses paid trip to London, where he will represent the country at the World’s Public Speaking Competition to be held from May 8 to 12.
The event was organised by ESU Malaysia in collaboration with the Malaysian Institute of Debating & Public Speaking (MIDP) and the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Other venue sponsors included KDU Penang University College and Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak.
ESU Malaysia chairman Tunku Dara Tunku Tan Sri Naquiah Tuanku Ja’afar, said, the competition, organised since 2002, was an effort to encourage young Malaysians to study and speak English well.
“We (Malaysia) won this competition in 2012. Malaysia has always ranked in the top five among over 50 participating countries.
We hope this year, we can bring back the trophy," she said.
Besides public speaking competitions, she said ESU Malaysia was also active in organising public speaking workshops and fun English programmes in rural schools in a bid to encourage the younger generation to be familiar with and have the courage to use English.
Also present was ESU Malaysia deputy chairman Raja Tan Sri Arshad Raja Tun Uda.