Young Malaysians honoured for daring to dream

Proud to say that my friend Dr Fikri is one of them


Sunday November 5, 2006

KUALA LUMPUR: Success may never come easy, but dare to dream and never give up on your goals.

These words of encouragement come from internationally-renowned singer and composer Michael Wong, who is the Cultural Achievement Honouree recipient of The Outstanding Young Malaysian Awards (TOYM) 2006.

The Awards are a project of Junior Chamber International Malaysia (JCIM) and organised by its Kuala Lumpur Mandarin chapter.

Open to youths aged between 18 and 40, the awards, which have been around since 1985, are the Malaysian leg of The Outstanding Young Person’s (TOYP) World Programme.

It recognises achievements in 10 different categories – including business, cultural and entrepreneurial accomplishment.

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai, who presented the awards, said the TOYM programme served as an excellent motivational and acknowledgement vehicle for young Malaysians.

“The need to excel should inspire everyone to go into unchartered waters and think outside the box. Youths must be bold, confident and adventurous. The sky is the limit,” he said, adding that RM4.1bil was allocated under the 9th Malaysia Plan for skills development.

Dr Mohd Fikri Abdullah, who was recognised for his cardiovascular medical innovation, said one should always give back to the community regardless of achievements in life.

Local actor and producer Rosyam Noor stressed on the importance of remembering God in everything as “if you don’t remember God, you will not succeed.”

ROLE MODELS: Recipients of the TOYM Awards 2006 in the Honouree and Certificate of Merit categories posing for a group picture with organising chairman Alexis Choo (seated fifth from left), Liow (sixth from left), JCIM president Senator Tony Hsing (seventh from left) and JC KL Mandarin chapter president Eric Chin (eight from left). Wong is seated fourth from left, Vun is at far right and Dr Chong is standing in the back row (fourth from left).