THE Penang government has announced six community heroes in the state via a community award.
They are Saras Pillay, Loo Siew Ngoh (Anna Loo), Muhammad Syahir Jamaludin, Azizul Abdul Rahim, Sally Ng Chit Peng and Chong Soon Kheng.
The award is known as the ‘LovePENANG Community Awards Programme’.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the community award, which is one of the activities under the LovePENANG campaign, was held to recognise those who had voluntarily offered humanitarian aid and assistance to those in need, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic period.
“The invitation to award nomination was announced in July this year.
“To nominate an outstanding candidate, the person has to submit an application on the LovePENANG website, and it would then be screened by professional panellists from agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
“I am glad to note that today, we have six excellent award recipients with us.
“The state is grateful for the sacrifices and contribution of these heroes who had selflessly offered their help to others during times of need.
“Therefore, we want to acknowledge them through this community award,” Chow said in his speech before announcing the award recipients in Komtar today.
Also present were state Welfare and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, Buddhist Tzu-Chi Merits Society Malaysia (Penang) commissioner Datuk Khoo Boo Leong, Penang Majlis Datuk-Datuk president Datuk Seri Abdul Rafique Abdul Karim, former Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers Penang (FMM Penang) chairman Datuk Jimmy Ong, Malaysian Association Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (Maicci) president Datuk N. Gobalakrishnan and medical practitioner Dr Doreen Yeap.
Chow also expressed his gratitude to all the six community heroes for their noble contribution towards society.
“On behalf of the Penangites, I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards the award recipients for their commendable deeds.
“There is no doubt that these individuals have committed admirable acts which we are all grateful for, and hence, they truly deserve the recognition.
“It gives me great honour and pleasure to say that these outstanding citizens will each be going home with a certificate of appreciation and a small token of appreciation for their contributions towards the Penang community,” he added.
According to Chow, the LovePENANG Community Awards Programme is still ongoing.
“We will not stop at just six community heroes only as we want to recognise more of them in the state.
“So, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all Penangites to step forward and nominate outstanding individuals who are deserving of this award.
“All you need to do is visit the LovePENANG website at www.lovepg.my, and fill out an application with information about your nominee as well as their story.
“We would certainly appreciate your support in locating our Penang heroes and rewarding them as they rightfully deserve,” said Chow.
Below are the details of all the six community heroes announced today:
Chong, is the key individual in establishing the Penang Care Society (PgCare Society).
PgCare Society (formerly known as PgCare Alliance), is an alliance of like-minded NGOs, institutions, and individuals. It was formed on July 16, 2021, to address the short and long-term needs related to mental health, food aid and employment, which have been aggravated by Covid-19.
He has led and coordinated over twenty NGOs, associations and industry players, to form the PgCare Society.
Chong also contributed in terms of monetary and donated 250,000 pieces of face shields to various schools in Penang.
For Loo, she has donated face shields to various healthcare providers including hospitals and clinics.
This includes the donation of 14,000 pieces of three-ply surgical masks and 103 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) protective clothing for frontliners (in collaboration with the World’s Lu Clan Association in the Asia-Pacific region).
She has also prepared face shields and donated them to the Penang Seberang Perai Prison.
Loo is also a registered organ donor for more than 20 years and a bone marrow donor for the past six years.
As for Muhammad Syahir, he is a firefighter in the Fire and Rescue Department for the past 12 years.
And one of his heroic acts was saving a woman who was contemplating suicide on the Penang bridge in May this year.
He did not hesitate to save a life and put his own life at stake. His heroic act was widely reported by various media organisations.
Azizul is a public servant at Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP).
He has carried out social services for the community for the past 11 years by using his salary.
Among his noble actions were helping 15 to 20 families during the lockdown (went door-to-door and provided them with foodstuff) and helping multiple groups of people (old folks, single mothers and chronically ill patients).
As for Ng, she has answered hundreds of hotline calls per day for the PgCare Society.
She worked from 7am to midnight (from July to September 2021) and was also known as the ‘superwoman’ who personally handled more than 2,000 calls (from July to December 2021).
Ng has helped thousands of Penangites with multiple cases relating to Covid-19 at the call centre.
She is also the Jet Kinderland founder, which is one of the leading providers of early childhood education in Penang with 10 branches island-wide.
She has been involved in the field of early childhood education for 26 years.
Ng is also an adjunct lecturer and a PhD student at Wawasan Open University.
Lastly, Saras is another key individual in the PgCare Society and has conducted many talks and webinars related to mental health.
She is also the current vice-chairman of Befrienders Penang, and the president of the National Council of Befrienders Malaysia.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi
Video by Alissala Thian