Y.A.Bhg. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS gave a public lecture on ‘Cabaran-cabaran Mentadbir Sesebuah Negara’ in the Chancellor Hall of UTP on 7 August 2006, the second one since he became Chancellor of UTP.

The main objective of this annual event is to highlight to students and the public the knowledge, experiences and the challenges that the former Prime Minister had faced in his 22 years of service.

In his lecture, he stressed that the challenges differ depending on the administrative system adopted by the respective countries, i.e. democracy, socialist or others. The major challenges that a leader has to face includes the political, economy and social aspects.

He added, a leader should be firm in every decision made by his government and he should be able to position the country well and respected by the global community. A leader must also be able to make sure that the country is stable, as it will affect the development of the country.

In his speech, he also said that a leader of this era will not have many followers unless he is able to come out with brilliant ideas to further develop the nation. Previously, a leader is only in charge of law and order but now a leader must possess the ability to propel the country to greater heights.

A total of almost 3,000 audiences benefited from this lecture. The audiences include students and staff of UTP, Y.A.Bhg Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Y.Bhg. Datuk Dr Rosti Saruwono, Vice President Education PETRONAS, Dr Zainal Abidin Hj Kasim, Rector of UTP, government officers and the public were glued to their seats throughout the lecture. It lasted for 1 1/2 hours followed by 1hour Q&A session.