Be volunteers, M’sians urged
‘A nation’s inner strength is measured by the character of its people’
PETALING JAYA: More Malaysians should be involved in volunteerism efforts, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
The inner strength of a nation is not measured by the skyscrapers built but by the character of the people, he added.
“They are our heroes and they don’t want any material recognition, all they want is we recognise them,” he said at the first ever Volunteer Malaysia Awards – A Prime Minister’s Award event here last night.
Individuals and groups who inspire and promote volunteerism were honoured for their various contributions.
Among the categories were Best Volunteer Initiative, Lifetime Achievement Award, Superelawan of the Year, Best Social Media for a Volunteer Initiative, Special Jury Award and 1Malaysia For Youth (iM4U) Best Humanitarian Song Award.
Najib presented the awards for the Gold achievement category to several winners and the Superelawan of the Year, which went to Project Transforming Rural Youth group
Among the winners for the Best Volunteer Initiative were Yayasan Pelajaran Johor (public service sector), AEON Co. (M) Bhd (private sector), Association of the Learning Disabled (NGO), Design and Architecture Faculty of Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Yayasan Nanyang Press won for the media organisation sector for its Sabah Ranau Earthquake Recovery Project while SMK Midin in Kuala Terengganu won for the school sector.
Earlier yesterday, Najib joined bloggers to go on a ride on the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line from the Mutiara Damansara station to the Pusat Bandar Damansara station.
In his latest post on his official blog www.najibrazak.com, the Prime Minister said he took his entourage to see the MRT project before the First Phase of the Sungai BulohKajang line becomes fully operational on Dec 16.
“We managed to have a casual chat on the direction of public transportation in the country, especially on the effects and major impact that the MRT will have on the country, and more importantly on the people’s lifestyle as a whole,” he wrote.
Najib said the MRT would improve its connectivity with the people by having feeder bus services at every station.
He also said the MRT project would complement the existing public transportation system and drive Malaysia to become a highincome nation.
“I cannot wait till Dec 16 so that all of you can experience the future of national public transportation. Let’s ride MRT!,” Najib wrote.