14/07/2025
MONDAY | JULY 14, 2025
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COMMENT by Mohd Roydean Osman
Building cyber-resilient workforce I N today’s hyper-connected global economy, cybersecurity can be a strategic risk at the highest levels of leadership – not just a technical issue buried within IT departments. education across disciplines – not limiting it to computer science but also introducing it into business, law, engineering and healthcare curricula.
industries – from banking and healthcare to critical infrastructure. By complementing this, mentorship initiatives can connect students with cybersecurity professionals, including CISOs and security entrepreneurs, offering career guidance, industry insights, and leadership development. By offering certifications, internships and mentorship opportunities, universities can provide students with a full-stack cybersecurity education experience – blending knowledge, experience and professional networks. In conclusion, higher education institutions have a unique and critical role in shaping the future of cybersecurity. By designing interdisciplinary, industry-aligned curricula; investing in experiential learning environments and innovation accelerators; and forging strong government and industry partnerships, universities can develop cyber-resilient leaders and innovators who will safeguard our digital future. In cybersecurity education, the stakes are high – and the time to act is now. MohdRoydean Osman is the vice president of Innovation and Commercialisation at Taylor’s University’s Centre for Research and Enterprise: Knowledge Transfer and Commercialisation. He has over 25 years of experience in the field of research and development, Tun Sambanthan’s career is filled with significant milestones. He amicably resolved the issue of lion dance performance permits, a culturally sensitive matter at the time. He also took up the cause of salary disparities among teachers, engaging with then education minister Tun Hussein Onn to address the issue effectively. Affectionately known as “pemangku perdana menteri” during his service, Sambanthan was a national figure whose contributions earned him enduring recognition. His legacy lives on, not only in memory but also on Malaysian roads: Jalan Lintang in Sungai Siput, where he hailed from, was renamed Jalan Tun Sambanthan. In Kuala Lumpur’s Little India, several roads were also renamed in his honour. As we reflect on the journey ahead, we remember and honour the light left behind by Tun Sambanthan – a light that continues to guide our path towards unity and understanding. “You have left us. But your light still shines bright, illuminates our paths and guides us.” Peruji Perumal Sub-Editor Malaysia Nanban
0 Offering dual-track programmes: one for technical specialists and one for cyber-aware managers, policymakers and executives. 0 Constantly refreshing academic content in line with technological shifts such as AI, IoT, 5G and quantum computing threats. Curriculum development should be co-designed with industry partners, cybersecurity firms and government agencies to ensure alignment with real-world challenges, regulatory demands and technological advancements. Importance of hands-on training While higher education institutions serve as good platforms for theory based knowledge, it is equally important to prioritise experiential learning environments that simulate real-world threat landscapes. These can include ethical hacking labs, (where students explore system vulnerabilities within controlled and ethical frameworks), Red Team/Blue Team exercises (simulating offensive and defensive cybersecurity scenarios to build critical thinking and adversarial resilience) and cyber range platforms (replicating enterprise digital ecosystems under attack, to train students in incident response, forensics and cyber crisis management). Additionally, leading universities are now leveraging innovation accelerators or cybersecurity innovation hubs to drive applied pursue justice through outdated legal precedents, such as the Ho You Kong case (1996), a costly and time consuming process that few can afford. The Parents Maintenance Bill, mirroring successful models in Singapore, India and Taiwan includes key provisions such as: 0 Tribunal system: A low-cost, fast track mechanism to deliver justice to elderly parents. 0 Children’s liability: Legally enforceable financial support from children who are financially capable. 0 Mediation first: A focus on family reconciliation before resorting to litigation. Yet, this crucial bill continues to gather dust – untabled, undebated and ignored. Benefits of a Parents Maintenance Act 0 Restores dignity: Ensures seniors have a guaranteed right to food, shelter and healthcare – not as charity but as a basic entitlement. 0 Eases welfare burden: Shifts financial responsibility from taxpayers to capable children, potentially saving millions in public funds.
As cyber threats continue to grow in frequency, sophistication and impact, the need for a cyber-resilient workforce is no longer optional; it is a national economic and security imperative. From a senior management perspective, there is an increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals who can translate technical risks into financial and operational terms, develop business continuity plans and strategic incident response playbooks, and foster organisational cultures that prioritise cyber resilience at every level. There is urgent need for deep technical specialists – ethical hackers, cloud security architects, threat intelligence analysts and secure software developers – roles requiring technical mastery in highly specialised domains. As such, higher education institutions must step forward, not only to supply technical talent but to shape the next generation of strategic leaders who possess strategic management capabilities and technical excellence. Designing curriculum to meet industry needs To meet the rising expectations of the industry, universities must adopt an agile and integrated cybersecurity education model by: 0 Embedding cybersecurity IT is deeply troubling that, despite the rising number of senior citizens being abandoned by their children, Malaysia has yet to enact a law for parental maintenance. With over 3.5 million citizens aged 60 and above, a figure expected to reach six million by 2030, thousands of elderly parents are abandoned each year – left destitute, desperate and reliant on an already strained welfare system. Our nearest neighbour, Singapore, enacted its Maintenance of Parents Act in 1995. Taiwan did so in 1980, China in 1996, the Philippines in 2003 and India in 2007. Malaysia, despite drafting a bill in 2003, has yet to pass it into law. This longstanding delay is unacceptable and it must change now. Shameful reality 0 Rising abandonment: Welfare Department reports show a 40% surge in elderly abandonment cases since 2020. 0 System collapsing: Welfare aid applications from seniors have doubled between 2020 and 2025, stretching resources to the brink. 0 Legal void: Without a specific law, desperate parents are forced to
To meet the rising expectations of the industry, universities must adopt an agile and integrated cybersecurity education model. – ADAM AMIR HAMZAH/THESUN
0 Faster, affordable justice: Tribunals resolve cases within weeks, unlike lengthy and costly High Court accountability: Establishes legal responsibility for children to support their parents – moving beyond moral obligation to enforceable duty. 0 Boosts national pride: Demonstrates that Malaysia values and protects its elderly, keeping pace with regional peers. Many of our neighbouring Asian countries already have laws to protect elderly parents. Malaysia has a draft bill but what it lacks is political will. With an ageing population and increasingly fragmented families, such legislation is no longer optional; it is a moral imperative. Parliament must act before another parent dies abandoned. Every day without this law, elderly parents suffer in silence while taxpayers shoulder the cost. Malaysia’s seniors helped build this nation. They deserve justice, not abandonment. Yew Kam Keong Chief Mind Unzipper proceedings. 0 Promotes research, commercialisation and real-world impact in cybersecurity. Such platforms serve multiple purposes such as: 0 Nurturing cybersecurity-focused start-ups and spin-offs, led by students, researchers and faculty entrepreneurs. 0 Funding applied cybersecurity research projects addressing industry pain points like ransomware defence, cloud security hardening and AI-based threat detection. 0 Creating a bridge between academia and industry, piloting cybersecurity innovations in operational environments. 0 Hosting hackathons, innovation challenges and incubation programmes to accelerate student led cybersecurity solutions from idea to impact.
Through these accelerators, universities can move beyond teaching cybersecurity – they become ecosystem builders for cybersecurity innovation. Role of certifications, internships and mentorship programmes In today’s cybersecurity job market, academic qualifications must be ideally complemented by industry recognised certifications such as CISSP, CEH, CompTIA Security+ and cloud-specific credentials. Forward-thinking universities integrate certification preparation into their curricula, allowing students to graduate not only with a degree but also with certifications that signal immediate employability. In addition, structured internship programmes can place students in cybersecurity roles across various JUNE 16 marked the 106th birthday of Tun V.T. Sambanthan, a revered figure in Malaysia’s journey towards unity and nation-building. Tun Sambanthan once said: “While money fluctuates, morality endures and grows.” His words on compassion, unity and moral values remain deeply inspiring. His belief that “good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma” still resonates today. In a multiracial country like Malaysia, unity is built on tolerance and acceptance. The more we nurture these values, the more harmonious our society becomes. Echoing these ideals, Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah recently emphasised that in today’s uncertain world, resilience, reinvention and, most crucially, collaboration are vital. His call to embrace pluralism, accommodate diversity and uphold human dignity reminds us of the very principles Tun Sambanthan championed. It is worth recalling that in 1972, Malaysia’s second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, appointed Sambanthan as the minister of National Unity – a position created to reflect the critical importance of maintaining harmony in a diverse nation.
innovation management and as a technology strategist. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com Uphold Tun Sambanthan’s legacy
LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com Urgent need for parental maintenance law
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