‘BE COMPASSIONATE’
TAN Sri Lee Lam Thye receives Maulidur Rasul award for 45 years of illustrious service to the nation.
SOCIAL activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the Maulidur Rasul Award will motivate him to champion safety and health in the community.
The former chairman of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) said the award was a recognition of his contribution to community safety and wellbeing for the past 45 years.
He said he would continue his work under the Alliance of Safe Community (Ikatan), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that focused on educating the community about safety and health.
“I will continue to work with government departments and agencies along with Ikatan and other NGOs for the country and the community,” he said after receiving the award from Yang diPertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah during the nationallevel Maulidur Rasul celebration at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, here yesterday.
The Eco World Foundation chairman said boosting safety in tahfiz schools was on his list.
“When I was NIOSH chairman, we had come out with a safety guideline for these schools.
“However, cases such as fires are common in tahfiz schools.
“I will work with experts at Ikatan to share their knowledge and experience on safety aspects with tahfiz school operators.”
He called on Malaysians to be compassionate to one another. “Compassion is the only way to promote harmony and peace.”
Lee is the only non-Muslim recipient of the award this year. Previous non-Muslim Maulidur Rasul award recipients included author, lecturer and activist Dr Lim Swee Tin (2016), Fire and Rescue Department officer Liew Tong Sin (2004), and Mount Kinabalu park ranger Mithun Jay Langgim, who rescued 135 climbers during the Sabah earthquake in 2015.
Three other recipients of the national-level Maulidur Rasul Award this year were academician Professor Datuk Dr Asma Ismail, Hospital Mesra Ibadah founder Datuk Dr Khalid Ibrahim, and humanitarian activist Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid. They each received a cash prize of RM20,000, a trophy and a certificate.
Syariah law expert Datuk Seri Daud Muhammad was the recipient of the Maulidur Rasul Perdana Award. He took home a cash prize of RM50,000, a trophy and a certificate.
In thanking the king and the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) for the award, Daud hoped the government would implement the syariah criminal law as it was important to uphold the moral values in the community.
“I hope this will become a reality. Non-Muslims should not be worried as the syariah law will apply only to Muslims,” he said.
Dr Asma said the award was significant and a gift to her mother, who just celebrated her 85th birthday on Friday.
“She is my role model. “Without her support and motivation, I will not be who I am today.
“My mother always taught me about having inner strength and how it can help a woman succeed in life.
“The award will motivate me to continue my work as an educator and researcher. I am an advocate of ‘hi-tech and hi-touch’. It’s pointless to create technology that cannot help society.
“Besides, education needs to be balanced with knowledge and moral virtues to help the future generation become global players.”