KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced a RM3 million allocation for the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS).
Anwar said the allocation was to allow MRCS to carry out voluntarism and welfare work in the country and abroad, as well as to enable the association to carry out improvement and maintenance work at its headquarters in every state.
Of the total allocation, he said, RM1 million was from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) and RM1 million from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
"To strengthen the maintenance and management of the MRCS headquarters in every state so that its operations are at an optimum level, I agreed to add RM1 million to this allocation," said Anwar in his keynote address at the launch of MRCS's 75th anniversary celebration, themed "75 Years — A Humanitarian Story, 1948-2023".
Tunku Temenggong of Kedah Tan Sri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, who is the MRCS national chairman, graced the event.
Also present were Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim.
Anwar also paid tribute to the role played by civil societies in Malaysia's development.
"The success of this Madani nation (Malaysia) will not only depend on the manner in which leaders navigate society to weed out excessiveness and corruption with the commitment of civil servants. It also depends on the determination and support of civil societies, including MRCS.
"In this context, I laud the dedication of MRCS in fostering the values of universality and compassion in their work, including the sacrifices that they have undertaken in dealing with situations, which can be precarious at certain times and challenging at most times.
"To ensure the success of the nation, we need to foster the spirit of volunteerism among the people, especially the younger generation."
MRCS, said Anwar, had extensive experience in voluntary and humanitarian acts not only in the country but also abroad, and this was documented in the media. Later, at the event, Anwar launched MRCS's national headquarters in Lengkok Belfield, off Jalan Wisma Putra, here.