KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran actress and Johan Setia Mahkota (JSM) recipient in the artistes' category Fauziah Nawi has described her royal award as "a timely honour".
Fauziah, 70, said in an interview with Harian Metro Online yesterday that she was thankful for her award and hardly expected it.
"In my five decades in the performing arts I have never asked for any recognition. With or without awards, my love is always for the arts," she said.
Describing her award as a responsibility, Fauziah who is also a director and acting coach added that she now had to play a bigger role in the industry, discovering new artistes for the growth and continuity of the performing arts sector.
Fauziah thanked the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah for conferring her award and also congratulated fellow artistes who received awards in conjunction with the King's Birthday at Istana Negara yesterday.
The other artistes were veteran singer Datuk DJ Dave and acclaimed musician and composer Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Khan Nawab Khan.
They were among 839 people who received awards from the King.
Dave received the Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN) which carries the title Datuk.
Ahmad received the Panglima Setia Mahkota (PSM) which carries the title Tan Sri.
Dave or Datuk Irwan Shah Abdullah, 75, was honoured for his social work, as the founder of Yayasan Kebajikan Artis Tanah Air (YKAT) which has assisted needy artistes over the last decade.
Ahmad was honoured for his lifetime contributions to Malaysian music. The 91-year-old maestro has composed more than 2,000 songs for various artistes since the 1950s.