‘Star’ honoured
Datuk Wira for Chong Wei
MALACCA: Malaysian Olympiads Datuk Lee Chong Wei and Goh Liu Ying were the celebrities during an investiture ceremony in conjunction with Malacca Governor Tun Khalil Yaakob’s 78th birthday at Seri Negeri here.
Lee and Goh, who won silvers in the Rio Olympics, were swarmed by other award recipients and media personnel to have “selfies” taken with them.
Even Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon who received his Darjah Pangkuan Seri Melaka (D.P.S.M) did not miss the opportunity to have a picture taken with the badminton aces.
Lee was conferred the Darjah Cemerlang Seri Melaka (D.C.S.M) which carries the title Datuk Wira while Goh was conferred the Bintang Cemerlang Melaka (.B.C.M).
Both of them thanked the Malacca government for the recognition.
Lee said the award was a precious gift.
“This award is an encouragement for me to excel further and bring glory to the nation.
“I will be participating in at least five international tournaments for this year,” he said.
Earlier, Mohd Khalil in his speech said he was glad the state government has outlined its strategies to cushion the impact of the uncertainties arising from the global economic crisis.
“I was told that the poverty rate in Malacca is at 0.1% in contrast to a 0.6% rate of the national average.
“Gross household income increased from RM4,759 in 2012 to RM6,046 in 2014 and I am confident the state will continue to maintain the fiscal growth through foreign direct investments apart from other economic activities,” he said.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron said the state will continue to be vibrant in all aspects while securing close bonds among various races in the state.