Berita Harian’s Achiever of the Year 2022 Awards honour exemplary Malay-Muslim achievers
Singapore, 3 November 2022 - Berita Harian has named Associate Professor Hadijah Rahmat as Berita Harian’s Achiever of the Year (Anugerah Jauhari Berita Harian), and Mr Lee Syafiq Muhd Ridzuan Lee as Berita Harian’s Young Achiever of the Year (Anugerah Jauhari Harapan Berita Harian) in its 24th edition of the annual awards to honour the contributions of outstanding individuals in our Malay/Muslim community.
The Achiever of the Year Award honours exemplary individuals, aged 31 years and above, or organisations who have made a mark in their field. Head of the Asian Languages and Cultures Academic Group at National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Associate Professor Hadijah Rahmat, 64, was named this year’s Achiever of the Year for making significant contributions to the literary community throughout 35 years of her professional career. She has also achieved outstanding achievements in multidisciplinary research-teaching-writing approaches. On the award, she said: “My philosophy is to ‘just do and try my best to help others and the society without expecting anything in return’. This award is a pleasant surprise. I feel humbled and grateful for it. Alhamdullillah. Thank you very much, Berita Harian for this recognition and honour.”
On the other hand, the Young Achiever of the Year Award recognises individuals, aged 30 years and below, who have the verve to strive for success and contribute to the society. Mr Lee Syafiq Muhd Ridzuan Lee, 30, clinched this award for his perseverance to sustain and expand his hawker business during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. To date, he owns six gourmet burger outlets in Singapore and one outlet in New York. He said: “This award came as a huge surprise to me as I did not expect to be awarded with such a prestigious title and award. It is an honour to be able to receive it and to represent the younger generation of entrepreneurs who are working hard to achieve their goals and ambition especially in a hawker setting. ‘Sikit sikit jadi bukit’ (Translation: "Little by little it becomes a hill").”
This year, to celebrate its 65th anniversary, Berita Harian also presented the Lifetime Achiever (Anugerah Jauhari Pencapaian Sepanjang Hayat Berita Harian) Award that recognises individuals for their lifetime accomplishments. This award was presented to the grandfather of Malay songs in Southeast Asia, 85-year-old Mohamed Noor Mohamed Yusofe. Better known as Yusnor Ef, he had penned hundreds of Malay songs. Mr Yusnor said: “I feel honoured and very happy with this recognition. I hope to set an example to the younger generations through my works, to always remember the past, create the present and inspire the future”. Please see Annex for more information on the awards and the winners.
The awards ceremony was held at Four Seasons Hotel and graced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Lawrence Wong.
Mr Saat Abdul Rahman, Editor of Berita Harian, said: “We are delighted to present Berita Harian’s Achiever of the Year Award to Malay language and culture educational expert and highly recognised literary author, Associate Professor Hadijah Rahmat, and Young Achiever of the Year Award to ‘hawkerpreneur’ and founder of Ashes Burnnit, Lee Syafiq Muhd Ridzuan Lee. The awards honour inspiring individuals who empower our next generation. The recipients have displayed the grit and tenacity to become role models in their respective fields. Associate Professor Hadijah Rahmat has published books and works blending academic insights with artistic expressions, while Lee Syafiq represents the new wave of next-generation ‘hawkerpreneur’. This year, we are also happy to present the Berita Harian’s Lifetime Achiever Award to Yusnor Ef for his dedication in Malay music.”
Ms Elaine Heng, Deputy Group CEO and CEO of Retail Business, the FairPrice Group, who presented the Young Achiever of the Year Award, said: “FairPrice Group is pleased to be part of Berita Harian’s Young Achiever of the Year Award 2022 to recognise the significant contributions of talented youths who have made a difference to our society. As a social enterprise, we continue to support this award as we share Berita Harian’s common purpose of empowering our Malay/Muslim community to achieve excellence and success.”
The Berita Harian’s Achiever of the Year 2022 Awards is organised by Berita Harian, with support from NTUC Fairprice as its main sponsor.
Attachments:
1. Annex - Berita Harian Achiever of the Year 2022 Awards
2. Photo - Associate Professor Hadijah Rahmat, Berita Harian Achiever of the Year 2022
3. Photo - Lee Syafiq Muhd Ridzuan Lee, Berita Harian Young Achiever of the Year 2022
4. Photo - Mohamed Noor Mohamed Yusofe, Berita Harian Lifetime Achiever of the Year 2022
(Photos to be credited to Berita Harian)
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