The Centre for Islamic Development Management Studies (ISDEV), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) recently organised the Konferens Antarabangsa Pengurusan Pembangunan Islam (or KAPPI) trip from 21 April to 25 April 2019 to Medan, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia known as KAPPI@MEDAN for short. A total of 30 students comprising of both RISDEV (ISDEV Postgraduate by Research) students and MISDEV (ISDEV Postgraduate by Mixed-mode) students took part in KAPPI@MEDAN.

 

 

ISDEV Director, Dr Shahir Akram Hassan led the more than 30 strong delegates in the KAPPI@MEDAN trip to participate in The 2nd International Conference on Politics of Islamic Development (ICoPOID 2019) on 22-23 April 2019. Besides ISDEV Director, ISDEV Deputy Director, Dr Wan Norhaniza Wan Hasan and other ISDEV lecturers and alumni consisting of Professor Dr Muhammad Syukri Salleh, Associate Professor Dr Zakaria Bahari and Dr Shereeza Mohamed Saniff accompanied the students too. 

 

 

It was a packed five days four nights trip. The second and third day of the trip were dedicated to exposing students to present their research papers away from local soil at ICoPOID 2019. On the first day of conference, Professor Dr Muhammad Syukri Salleh gave a keynote address while the second day was the D-day for ISDEV students to present their research papers before the audience consisting mainly of postgraduate students of Universitas Medan Area (UMA).

 

 

After the academic exposure was accomplished, the fourth day provided a real social lab of the inner-self exposure to all. Known as the time to educate the heart, balancing between the wants and the needs, the delegates were exposed to the dynamics of the free market ideology. Here delegates were brought to the popular shopping bazaar of Medan known as "Pajak Ikan Lama" where all sorts of items of memorabilia can be purchased at such amazing prices either to be used for the coming Hari Raya or simply as souvenirs for the loved ones back home.

 

 

However all in all, it is the establishing of solat jemaah daily and the ensuing tazkirah sessions that can be dubbed as the highlight of this trip. Besides ensuring the physical intellectual development of the students, the spiritual aspects are not forgotten at all. The ukhuwwah was definitely felt as the delegates were fed with the practical aspects of Islamic concepts and principles from the tazkirah sessions that were delivered by ISDEV Alumni such as Dr Warjio, Professor Sukiman and Dr Shereeza as well as from Dr Shahir Akram, Dr Wan Norhaniza, Professor Dr Muhammad Syukri and Associate Professor Dr Zakaria, most of whom shared personal accounts of what ISDEV meant to them as students of Islamic development management.

 

 

It was meant to provide an international exposure to ISDEV students. However this trip signified a lot of firsts for some of them - a first to be abroad, a first to take a flight, a first to travel without family, a first to present before a non-local audience, a first to try Indonesian food, a first to be away from Malaysian soil - all of which enriched them in honing their academic outlook and experience. Some students, only after the trip realized how fortunate and blessed their lives were in Malaysia. 

 

 

On the fifth day, after having lunch at a nearby restaurant en route to the Kuala Namu International Airport, it was finally time to bid a farewell to ISDEV Alumni members in Medan and friends of ISDEV from Medan. ISDEV delegates touched down at Pulau Pinang International Airport at about 8:30pm on 25 April, 2019. Alhamdulillah it was mission accomplished for KAPPI@MEDAN.