IIUM.fm is a unique campus radio run by the university's Department of Communication, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). It was launched early last year by the university's Rector to provide the opportunity for students specializing in electronic media to put into practice their broadcasting skills. It is not meant for campus broadcast only, but rather it is accessible throughout the world as it is streamed through the internet. It is not surprising, therefore, that listeners could tune in to the broadcast from any corner of the globe.

The radio broadcast gives good opportunity for students to have the real feeling of being involved in the operation of the broadcast station where they prepare news, gather information, carry out live interviews, and organize and prepare programs for broadcasts under the able guidance of their experienced lecturer and a broadcaster, Mr. Johanni Salleh. The contents of the broadcast vary from current news items, and campus activities to research and academic highlights, and scholastic views on social and religious matters, particularly relating to Islam and its portrayal in society and the media.

I am happy to be given the opportunity to appear live in a broadcast over IIUM.fm at 5.00pm (local time) yesterday (27 January 2011) where I was interviewed live by its DJ, Rashida Kagoli, the electronic media student who hailed from Sudan. Knowing that I had long been in the industry before joining IIUM, Rashida had asked me to share my valued experiences with the listeners. Among the questions put to me were why I have decided to join IIUM, what sorts of job or role I was involved in the industry, my impression of the university's role, my expectations of IIUM graduates, and how I manage my time in between teaching, family and profession, and what my achievements are and my contributions will be.

During the 30-minute interview I have tried to reflect on my past experiences, especially in public diplomacy during my early career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over a spate of 23 years, which took me to serve in foreign countries as well. Public diplomacy is, in fact, public relations effort at the international level where the focus is communicating with foreign audiences on policies and official stances of the government or the defence of such policies abroad. It involves managing relations with the media, managing public perception as well as positioning Malaysia's image overseas.

My services (some eight years) at the Ministry of Information later in my career were spent on managing issues and media relations at the national level. Later, as director of media and corporate communication at the Department of Information, I was responsible for handling relations with the media, issuing of accreditation for both local and foreign journalists, attending to official functions, visits and international conferences, and managing corporate affairs of the department.

As the director of South-South Information Gateway in the Ministry of Information for one and the half years before my retirement, I was tasked with the responsibility of bridging the information gap between the developing and the developed world in line with UNESCO's New World Information and Communication Order. This called for an exchange of broadcast materials and print media news not only between developing countries but also between the developing and the developed world. The program also included face-to-face communication through seminars and workshops that brought together media and other experts and specialists from different countries.

I have tried to enlighten the listeners by emphasizing my interest to share some of my experience with young people at the university as the reason for joining IIUM after my retirement from the government service three years ago. Apart from that, joining an international and an Islamic university would give me the chance to serve the international community and the Muslim ummah as a whole. I reckon that IIUM has a role in positioning future Muslim leaders and to promote the image of Islam globally, and for this I am proud to be associated with this university.

In response to Rashida's question on my expectations of IIUM graduates, I mentioned that I hope communication and public relations graduates, in particular, would be able to compete in the international setting. Therefore, we need to produce quality graduates to meet the requirements of the market and the industry. Most importantly, IIUM graduates should be seen as unique in the sense that they have the Islamic attributes, to be able to contribute significantly to the world community at large. Hence, I feel that I too have a role to play in this university in advancing the quality of graduates.

Is public relations a global profession? Or can public relations even be called a profession? There has been controversy on the concept of true public relations.

Eminent public relations educator like Grunig has been promoting the concept as a 'two-way symmetrical communication'. Some point out that public relations does not even have entry credentials like that of law, medicine or accounting, therefore, it cannot be justified to be called a profession. This has driven the long standing debate on whether public relations practitioners should be licensed.

In Malaysia, the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM) strongly advocates the need for an act to regulate the profession through some form of formal certification, if not licensing. The reactions from practitioners in the industry are still divided. Yet there is a need for the industry practitioners and educators to respond fast to place the field where it should be to fit into the global changes.

John Paluszek of Global Alliance public relations and communication management had made the following observation on the "profession", which I think is timely to be examined in the context of its practice in Malaysia today:

1. Public relations in its fullest, finest sense - developing and maintaining relationship - is arguably a global profession because it now functions in the public interest in virtually every part of our interconnected world.

2. Look at Grunig's concept of 'two-way communication' (indeed there is symmetry here) that helps build and maintain harmonious relationship. It illustrates how public relations can exist, and function at the interface of the organization and society. 'Listening' to the audiences - via substantial, on-going research - fits into an organization's policy formation and performance, which is then subject to communication to target audiences.

3. He does not agree with description of public relations as 'high-minded'. It can be pursued in the humble product news release seeking to promote, in the famous aphorism, "commercial transactions between consulting adults". And he says harmony is also scalable. At the other end of the spectrum, harmony is also the objective of macro public relations commitment called 'public diplomacy'. ('public diplomacy' is a concept used by the State Department to offset the tremendous damage to US reputation abroad due to foreign policy decisions.)

4. Is public relations a profession? Look at the definition of a profession. "A vocation or occupation requiring advanced education and training and involving intellectual skills."

5. Public relations can certainly demonstrate three other standards for designation of profession - an ethical code, on-going social science research, and a body of knowledge - although public relations body of knowledge is so broad, diverse and growing that it has defied codification.

6. On public relations practitioners being 'advocates'. Doctors, lawyers and other professionals are advocates as well. The overriding criterion here is performing in the client's interest and within the ethical codes.

7. How do we as public relations professionals fit into a fast changing world? In the last two decades the world has become so interconnected. New international forces have become so powerful that a fundamental reassessment of public relations profession is critical.

8. Look at the importance and the impact of evolving information technology which can link every one around the world at any time. Examine current and global linkages in addressing many issues of international concern - environment, energy, immigration, tourism, trade and commerce, capital flows, disease and health issues.

9. It is fair and critically important to ask, "what can public relations cannon and portfolio, as they continue to evolve, contribute to a better society?"