OUR national heroes come in various capes. They have strived, sacrificed and served the country with no dreams of medals or recognition for their contributions.
The Merdeka Award Trust is honouring six such outstanding individuals and organisations with its prestigious Merdeka Award this year.
Petronas president and group chief executive officer and Merdeka Award Board of Trustee Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik said the company reviewed over 300 deserving recipients for the Merdeka Award over the last 18 months.
For this year, he said the Trust also introduced the new Anugerah Harapan Merdeka category to recognise distinctive efforts of Malaysians aged 40 years old and below, or organisations that have been around for less than 10 years.
"Our progress as a country in the past 65 years – from an agrarian economy to one which is today underpinned by technology and innovation, is evidence of the contribution of many Malaysians who have been passionate about progress.
"To all 63 Merdeka Award recipients – including those we celebrate today – as well as those who have supported and collaborated with and stood by them in their endeavours, let us continue the good work and continue to make meaningful and beneficial change in the world.
"May the 'spirit of Merdeka' continue to be your guiding light for all that matters in the days ahead," he said during the 2022 Merdeka Award presentation ceremony at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur on August 19, 2022.
Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, who is also the Merdeka Award Trust's royal patron and chairman, presented the awards to the six recipients.
The Merdeka Award Trust was first established by two leading oil and gas industry players – Petronas and Shell – in 2007 to mark Malaysia's 50th year of independence.
Since 2008, the Trust has conferred the Merdeka Award to 57 individuals and six organisations for their remarkable contributions to the country.
The recipients for this year include Teach for Malaysia (Education and Community category), Global Environment Centre (Environment category), Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Siti Zuraina Abdul Majid (Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Category), Professor Datuk Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman (Health, Science and Technology Category) and Datuk Dr Annabel Teh Gallop (Outstanding Contribution to the People of Malaysia).
Meanwhile, teacher Samuel Isaiah, who was the 2020 Global Teacher Prize finalist, also became the inaugural recipient of the Anugerah Harapan Merdeka.
All six recipients were household names in their respective fields with exceptional achievements and track records.
EMERITUS PROFESSOR DATUK DR SITI ZURAINA ABDUL MAJID
(Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Category)
The country's first archaeologist, Siti Zuraina dived into archaeology even before Indian Jones made it to the silver screen.
The historian also discovered the 74,000-year-old Paleolithic stone tool site of Kota Tampan in Lenggong, Perak, and the 11,000-year-old skeletal remains of Perak Man.
Siti Zuraina also played a pivotal role in getting the Lenggong Valley to be recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site, making it the country's first archaeological site to receive the designation.
"When I started on my archaeological journey decades ago, I knew what I needed to do. I worked at it but never did I imagine that it would lead to this ever-so-prestigious Merdeka Award.
"Special thanks to my committed, and cheerful excavation team – we were one large family living away from our real families and this was made easier by the people of Lenggong to whom we are grateful for their lasting friendships and moral support.
"In short, my team was a dream team and this award is an acknowledgement of our joint effort.
"Most pivotal to this effort was my late husband, my best friend. He was the invisible part of my team – and together with my children – supported me in every way," she said.
PROFESSOR DATUK DR ADEEBA KAMARULZAMAN
(Health, Science and Technology Category)
For decades, Dr Adeeba has dedicated herself to combat the stigma that haunts HIV/AIDS patients in the country and ensure they receive the necessary help.
The former University of Malaya Faculty of Medicine dean also became the first Asian to serve as the International AIDS Society (IAS) president in 2020.
Dr Adeeba said inequality exacerbates pandemics, be it Covid-19 or HIV/AIDS. And a robust, resilient healthcare system is crucial to address this issue, she said.
"Unfortunately, Covid-19 is not going to be the last of these pandemics.
"For as long as there is close interaction of humans and either wild or domesticated animals, there will be another pandemic. The only question is when.
"My wish for the country's healthcare system in the post-Covid era is to ensure equal access to health and healthcare for all.
"Ensure that policies that affect health and society in general are guided by science and evidence, not by greed or ideology.
"Raise the current government expenditure to five per cent annually, instead of the current 2.5 per cent for health services expenditure. Ensure greater investment in medical education and research and development," she said.
DATUK DR ANNABEL TEH GALLOP
(Outstanding Contribution to the People of Malaysia)
Annabel takes great pride in her Malaysian family roots. Her love for Malay manuscripts has taken her around the globe to share her fascinating discoveries of the Malay world.
For Annabel, the centuries-old letters and documents have stood witness to the great moments and developments in Malaysian history and its interactions with the wider world.
"My mother was brought up in the small town of Changlun in Kedah, where my grandfather had a shophouse in Pekan Lama.
"I feel I am 'anak Kedah', and as such, I am profoundly moved by this great Malaysian award.
"Secondly, when I survey previous Merdeka award winners, I feel humbled, because so many earlier winners are associated with great charitable, educational or scientific achievements, the value of which to mankind needs no clarification or explanation.
"This Merdeka Award is precious not just for me, but for my whole 'tribe' of librarians, archivists, curators and scholars, who take care of sources from the past, for the benefit of generations," she said.
Annabel currently serves as the Head of the Southeast Asia section in the Asian and African Collections of the British Library in London.
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT CENTRE
(Environment category)
Since its inception in 1998, the Global Environment Centre (GEC) has been at the forefront of environmental preservation, with over 150 projects conducted successfully in more than 15 countries.
GEC Founder & Director Faizal Parish said the Covid-19 pandemic has raised the necessity and importance to protect, conserve and preserve the environment.
"We need the environment for clean water to drink, clear air to breathe and natural resources to sustain us as well as all other life on earth.
"And Mother Nature needs us all too – everyone of us here in this ballroom and beyond, to better respect her and be good stewards of her planet. No one lives like an island – we need each other!
"While we are reeling from a global health crisis, other crises cannot be ignored or trivialised.
"Climate disasters including increased storms, flooding and drought are killing hundreds of thousands a year, land degradation directly affects the survival of 75% of the world's poor; massive loss of biodiversity and critical habitats threatens life on earth; while air pollution alone kills seven million people a year.
"The next 10 years are critical for the long-term survival of the planet.
"We are in urgent need of a paradigm shift both in thought and in deed. We must take personal ownership of this crisis," he urged.
TEACH FOR MALAYSIA
(Education and Community category)
Inspired by a student's unique name, Chan Soon Seng went on a mission to assist underprivileged children to shape their own "destiny".
"In 2012, I met a student with the most unique name. Her name was Joanna Destiny. I found out about Joanna because she wrote an essay about her dreams.
"In that essay, she talked about wanting to go to New York University, to study psychology. My colleagues and I were so moved.
"In a community where the average parent earned an income of approximately RM1,200 per month, there were very few who would set their sights on a future beyond their community, as most didn't even know that was a possibility for them.
"And, in the midst of them, there was Joanna Destiny.
"I'd like to dedicate this award to Joanna, and all the students who showed us that they could overcome great odds in order to shape a life of greater possibility for themselves," he said.
Chan has been with Teach for Malaysia for a decade now and is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the foundation.
"Receiving the Merdeka Award means so much to us, because at Teach for Malaysia, we want to see a Malaysia where all children are leaders of their own learning, their future and the future of our nation," he said.
SAMUEL ISAIAH
(Anugerah Harapan Merdeka Recipient)
For Samuel, classrooms are where students learn the best, not where they are made to go.
Twice a week, the young teacher would walk to the Runchang Orang Asli settlement after school hours to teach his pupils English under trees.
Samuel made the headlines after he emerged as one of the top 10 finalists for the prestigious Global Teacher Prize in 2020. This year, he became the maiden recipient of the Anugerah Harapan Merdeka that the Merdeka Award Trust introduced this year.
"My lesson in inequity happened over Lego when I was six. We were all asked to bring in Lego for a competition and on that day, I realised the ones my parents bought me weren't real Lego; hence I could not participate.
"Up till that point, I never knew the existence of the real ones. For me, the cheap, bright-coloured, same-sized blocks were Lego.
"My family's income level determined my entry into a competition and 20 years later, I would find myself in a classroom in the face of inequity again.
"Except this time, I had it within me to do something about it. We didn't need real or fake Legos. My students and I had nature, music, the world outside and most importantly, the hope in our hearts to face any inequity and injustice.
"Most days, I'm an award-winning teacher and educator, but on some days, I'm still that boy in the classroom wondering why I couldn't take part in a simple Lego competition.
"And so long as this memory lives in me, my hope for this nation remains my wish for every child in Malaysia with a dream and a set of blocks," he said.