by KT Leong
Fifteen outstanding individuals were presented with awards on the first day of Perak’s National Youth Day (Hari Belia Negara, Negeri Perak) Carnival, which was held at Kompleks Belia Dan Sukan Ipoh.
Seven of the awards were for the Perak Government’s Outstanding Youth Awards (Anugerah Khas Belia Kerajaan Negeri Perak) and the remaining eight awards were for the National Prime Youth Awards (Anugerah Perdana Belia Negara).
The awards were presented by YB Mr. Khairuddin Bin Abu Hanipah, Chairman of the Committee of Education, Higher Education, Youth and Sports of the State of Perak. Also present were YBhg. Dr. Zainah Binti Shariff, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. Muhammad Puhaz Bin Saleh, President of the Perak State Youth Council, and Mr. Munir bin Aliyasak, Deputy Director of the Department of Youth and Sports of the State Perak.
Among the recipients of the awards were Irene Lock Sow Mei, who won the first prize for the National Prime Youth Awards (APBN) for the Individual Women’s category. This should come as no surprise, as Irene, who is also a survivor of leukaemia from a young age, had won the prestigious Young ADIPEC Technical Professional of the Year award at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) back in 2019, as a PETRONAS process engineer.
She also won the Young Industrialist Award at the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Malaysia Awards in the same year. She’s truly an outstanding ‘Ipoh Girl’.
Irene is currently a member of JCI Ipoh, which is an organisation that fosters the growth of leadership of its members through charitable functions. Her win has netted her a prize of RM3000.00.
Another winner was Khuswindera Singh A/L Tara Singh, who won the Perak Government’s Outstanding Youth Award for the category of Icon for the Power of the Future (Ikon Daya Maju). Mr. Khuswindera arranged many charitable events through his role as head of the Malaysian Indian Youth Council (MIYC) Buntong branch, aimed at improving the prospects of Indian youth.
Speaking to Ipoh Echo, he said that he would continue to work hard and persevere in helping the community through developing the youth.
In addition to the presentation of awards, the carnival also saw many art activities take place. A Mini Kaki Komik Fest was held thanks to the folks at Sako Plus, which saw many children take to the stage to take part in a Cartoon Workshop, led by the artist Jiro Kazuhiko.
