The Merdeka Award Trust is pleased to announce that this year, four (4) outstanding individuals will be conferred the Merdeka Award, while two (2) exceptional, young Malaysians will receive the Merdeka Award Grant for International Attachment.
In the Education and Community category, the recipient is TAN SRI LAKSHMANAN KRISHNAN – for his outstanding contribution to laying the foundation for the modern film industry in the country and for his instrumental role in developing early acting talents including Malaysian film icon the late Tan Sri P Ramlee.
In the Environment category the recipient is TAN SRI DATO’ SERI DR SALLEH MOHD NOR – for his outstanding contribution to the conservation of the natural environment and forestry in Malaysia through his leadership role at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).
The recipient in the Health, Science and Technology category is DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR DATUK DR LOOI LAI MENG – for her outstanding contribution in pioneering research in amyloidosis, renal pathology and cancer pathology and for her significant contributions and role in promoting the field of pathology in Malaysia and the region.
The recipient in the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement category is PROFESSOR DATO’ IR DR WAN RAMLI WAN DAUD – for his outstanding scholarly research and development in advancing the technology of fuel cells and hydrogen energy in Malaysia and the region.
There is no recipient in the category of Outstanding Contribution to the People of Malaysia for 2016.
The Merdeka Award is supported by signature initiatives, one of which is the Merdeka Award Grant for International Attachment, a short-term grant designed to make it possible for qualified Malaysians between the ages of 22 and 35 to engage in collaborative projects or programmes at selected, internationally-recognised host institutions.
The Grant, launched in 2012, creates the opportunity for recipients to establish contact and working relationships with other experts in their fields, share knowledge, and build on the body of work in his or her area of research.
Two Grants are offered annually to successful candidates in select disciplines – Education and Community, Environment as well as Health, Science and Technology, mirroring the categories in which the Merdeka Award itself is accorded.
The 2016 Grant recipients are:
Dr Khamarrul Azahari Razak and Ms Koh Lily.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to thank Tan Sri Sidek Hassan, Chairman of PETRONAS and members of the Merdeka Award Board of Trustees – Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, PETRONAS President and Group CEO; Mr See Kok Yew, Chairman of the ExxonMobil Subsidiaries in Malaysia, Datuk Iain Lo, Chairman of Shell Malaysia, Raja Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Arshad Raja Tun Uda and Dato’ Dr Yip Cheng Har.
My appreciation also goes out to former Independent Members of the Board of Trustees Dato’ Henry Sackville Barlow and Professor Emeritus Datin Dr Norella Kong, members of the Merdeka Award Nomination and Selection committees, and to the 2016 Merdeka Award Grant Selection Committee comprising senior representatives of the Human Resources Divisions of the Founding Members – PETRONAS, ExxonMobil and Shell.
Thank you and have a pleasant evening.