Tengku Permaisuri Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Hajah Norashikin attended the World Animal Day 2024 celebration at SPCA Selangor on October 26.-AZMAN GHANI/The Star
MANY animal lovers and rescuers look upon Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin as a crucial voice that could help end state-sanctioned animal cruelty in Selangor.
Her Royal Highness has risen to the occasion many times by speaking out against local council actions that are deemed cruel and brutal.
Earlier this year, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin spoke out against the Shah Alam City Council’s (MBSA) plan to launch a stray dog hunt.
In a statement posted on the Selangor Royal Office Facebook page, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin expressed her sadness upon reading about MBSA’s plan to hunt down street dogs.
“I’ve repeatedly emphasised that I strongly disagree with the catch-and-destroy method carried out by any local authority, including MBSA,” Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin stated.
The Tengku Permaisuri noted that there are many more humane ways to manage the stray population, such as spaying and neutering.
Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin also recommended that the local authorities consider setting up shelters for stray animals in every residential area, with the help of the area’s animal lovers.
“Local councils must make it compulsory for housing developers to construct such shelters,’’ the Tengku Permaisuri added.
Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin also urged municipal councils to improve and upgrade the animal pounds under their jurisdiction.
She expressed her heartfelt sorrow upon seeing pictures and videos of dogs in dire straits at a local council pound, which were exposed by animal rescuers.
The Tengku Permaisuri officiating the Klang’s cat Park in bandar bukitraja in august. The park aims to provide shelter for stray cats aroundthe district. — aZLIna abdULLaH/The star
In an entry on the Selangor Royal Office’s Facebook page, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin said: “If the current SOP is proven to be effective, there should not be a video showing the dogs as if they were mistreated, neglected and unmanaged.”
On the matter of education, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, who is the pro-chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), encouraged graduates during one of the institution’s convocations to continue pursuing education beyond their diploma and undergraduate degrees.
“The culture of acquiring knowledge needs to be enhanced because Malaysia requires problem-solvers to help the country face increasingly complex challenges,” the Tengku Permaisuri added.
Her Royal Highness had said that institutions of higher learning must empower research as a mission in advancing knowledge, encouraging innovation and addressing current societal challenges.
“In order to encourage research programmes to be carried out at institutions of higher learning, especially at the master’s and PhD levels, opportunities for collaboration with industries need to be increased,” Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin added.
At the 96th UiTM convocation, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin called for the quality of teaching at the institution to be improved.
“Universities need to introduce preparation programmes so that students can compete globally. This includes programmes that incorporate aspects of language, culture and technical expertise,” she had been quoted as saying.
The Tengku Permaisuri also stated that the university’s curriculum must meet current requirements and demands to enhance the visibility of the nation’s human capital.
During the 2022 convocation, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin stated that graduates should play their roles in ensuring Malaysia remains a sovereign nation.
“One of the ways is for us Malaysians to be united. If we are not united, we will not be able to defend our country from various threats posed by those who want to see our nation collapse,” the Tengku Permaisuri said in her royal address.
Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin trying her hand at making traditional kuihs during her visit to the Festival Makanan Warisan Selangor 2024 at Pantai Bagan Lalang, Sepang, in November. - Photo from the Selangor Royal Office Facebook page
The Tengku Permaisuri had also called upon parents to keep on guiding their children and reminding them not to forget their roots.
Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin and current Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah were married at Istana Alam Shah in Klang on Aug 31, 2016. Her Royal Highness was proclaimed the Tengku Permaisuri Selangor effective Sept 8 that same year.
Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin was previously an air stewardess before becoming an award-winning newscaster with RTM, bagging the Seri Angkasa Award’s Best TV News Presenter title in 2001 and 2005.
Born Norashikin Abdul Rahman on June 4, 1971, at a military hospital in Terendak Camp, Melaka, the Tengku Permaisuri has two grown-up children from a previous marriage.
In 2017, Universiti Putra Malaysia named a newly discovered species of orchid Vanilla Norashikiniana after Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin.
