The Board of Trustees of Merdeka Award is pleased to announce that three eminent Malaysians have been accorded the 2011 Merdeka Award, for their outstanding and lasting contributions to the nation and the people of Malaysia in their respective fields.
This announcement is the culmination of a year of hard work in the search for excellence, and it is hoped that this search will inspire and help Malaysians to compete in the ever-changing and challenging world that we live in.
Above and beyond the accolade and the substantial prize money that comes with it, the Merdeka Award could earn its recipients a place in history as individuals and organisations which have truly gone beyond the call of duty. They have, in the course of their work, demonstrated the true Spirit of Merdeka – the liberation of mind and spirit and the pursuit of excellence.
The three 2011 Merdeka Award recipients are Dato’ Dr Kenneth Yeang, in the Environment Category, for outstanding contribution to the development of design methods for the ecological design and planning of the built environment; and two joint recipients in the category of Outstanding Scholastic Achievement -- Professor Dato’ Dr Goh Khean Lee, for outstanding contribution in elevating the study and practice of gastroenterology and hepatology in Malaysia to global standards, and to Professor Dr Mak Joon Wah, for outstanding fundamental and applied research in parasitology and parasitic diseases, public health and pathology.
The 2011 Merdeka Award recipients will receive their award from the Patron of the Merdeka Award, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, at the 2011 Merdeka Award Presentation which will be held on October 10, 2011 at Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS.