KUALA NERUS: It was a bittersweet moment for Adnan Endut and his wife Roziana Wahab when they accepted a degree scroll on behalf of their son at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu’s (UMT) 18th convocation ceremony.

       A moment of silence was observed and Muslim attendees were asked to recite Al-Fatihah in honour of the late Muhammad Amirul Bakhtiar.

       The Bachelor of Science in Agro Technology (Aquaculture) graduate died on Sept 29 last year after falling into a coma following a road accident.

       When met by reporters, Adnan, 57, said he was grateful for the extraordinary appreciation given by UMT to his eldest son.

       “For almost a year, I had not shed a tear since he left but today, tears rolled down my cheeks.

       “The feeling of walking up the stage was indescribable, remembering the sweet memories with him.“My son loved UMT very much and often spoke fondly of his friends and lecturers there.

       “He had told us that he wanted to pursue his master’s degree at UMT but that will not happen as God loves him more,” the Kuala Terengganu City Council staff told Bernama.Roziana, 48, said despite her sadness, she would always remember the convocation ceremony as a moment of pride in her life.

       “I am proud of my son’s contributions and achievements during his time at UMT.

       “Hopefully, his excellence, good manners and memories will be a source of encouragement for his younger brother (Muhammad Azfan Zariff, 11) to follow in his footsteps,” she added.

       The convocation ceremony saw a total of 2,878 new graduates.