Merdeka Award honours Nicol David, Mercy Malaysia and national icons shaping Malaysia’s future

The 2026 Merdeka Award recognized eminent figures and organizations for their exceptional contributions to Malaysia.

Former world squash champion Datuk Nicol Ann David and Mercy Malaysia were honored for their roles in humanities, arts, sports, education, and community development.

Other awardees included academic and environmental leaders and a Paralympic gold medallist, reflecting the awards' broad scope in celebrating service across sectors.

The awards, presented by Sultan Nazrin Shah, emphasized sustainable impact and dedication, with Nicol highlighting the honor's significance beyond her sporting achievements.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Former world squash champion Datuk Nicol Ann David and Mercy Malaysia were among the recipients of the prestigious 2026 Merdeka Award, recognising their outstanding contributions to the nation and its people.

Nicol received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Humanities, Arts and Sports, while Mercy Malaysia was named recipient for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Community, with its president Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus receiving the award on behalf of the organisation.

Other recipients were national linguistic icon Emeritus Prof Datuk Asmah Omar (Outstanding Scholastic and Academic Achievement); turtle conservationist Prof Dr Chan Eng Heng (Environment and Planetary Health); and two-time Paralympic gold medallist and badminton player Cheah Liek Hou, who received the Merdeka Award for Hope.

Three academicians were also recognised, namely Emeritus Prof Datin Paduka Datuk Dr Aini Ideris and Prof Emerita Datuk Dr Asma Ismail, both under Science, Technology and Innovation, and Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Omar Abdul Rahman, who received the Special Merdeka Award for his lifelong contribution to advancing science, technology and innovation in Malaysia.

The awards were presented by Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah, who is also Royal Patron and Chairman of the Merdeka Award Trust.

In her speech at the announcement and presentation award ceremony, Nicol described the recognition as one of the proudest moments of her life, saying it honoured not only her sporting achievements but also her role in placing Malaysia on the world stage.

“I may have won professional titles, World Championships, and numerous sporting awards throughout my career, but nothing will ever compare to this very moment, because this award represents something so much bigger than my sporting career.

“It represents service to the nation… given me the opportunity to dream, to pursue those dreams, and to become who I am today and hopefully, inspire the next generation to believe that they too can dream beyond what they think is possible,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Faizal was quoted in a statement as saying that the award was not merely recognition of Mercy Malaysia’s achievements over the past 27 years, but also of the collective spirit of service demonstrated by thousands of Malaysians.

He said the recognition strengthened the organisation’s resolve to continue advancing humanitarian leadership, strengthening resilience and empowering communities amid increasingly complex humanitarian challenges, including climate emergencies, conflicts and public health threats.

Mercy Malaysia, in the same statement, said it had undertaken more than 500 humanitarian missions in over 35 countries, including Malaysia, since its establishment in 1999, serving communities affected by disasters, conflicts, health emergencies and displacement.

The organisation said its work included emergency medical relief and disaster response, healthcare system strengthening, mental health support, disaster risk reduction, humanitarian education and community empowerment.

“For Mercy Malaysia, this recognition belongs not to the organisation alone, but to the thousands of

volunteers, staff, humanitarian workers, donors, partners, and supporters who have contributed their

time, expertise and resources in serving humanity over the past two decades.

“Above all, it (the award) is dedicated to the communities that have entrusted Mercy Malaysia during some of the most challenging moments of their lives,” said the statement.

This year, laureates were selected following an extensive search in Malaysia and internationally, covering individuals and organisations that were evaluated based on the distinction and sustainable impact of their contributions. — Bernama

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2026 年独立奖旨在表彰对马来西亚做出杰出贡献的杰出人物和组织。

前世界壁球冠军拿督妮可·安·戴维和马来西亚慈济基金会因其在人文、艺术、体育、教育和社区发展方面所做出的贡献而受到表彰。

其他获奖者包括学术界和环保界的领军人物以及残奥会金牌得主，这体现了该奖项表彰各领域杰出贡献的广泛性。

这些奖项由苏丹纳兹林·沙阿颁发，强调了可持续的影响和奉献精神，尼科尔强调了这项荣誉的意义远不止于她的体育成就。

吉隆坡，9月5日讯——前世界壁球冠军拿督妮可·安·戴维和马来西亚慈济基金会荣获2026年独立奖，以表彰她们对国家和人民的杰出贡献。

尼科尔因其对人文、艺术和体育的杰出贡献而获得该奖项，而马来西亚慈济基金会则因其对教育和社区的杰出贡献而获得该奖项，其主席拿督艾哈迈德·法伊扎尔·莫哈末·珀道斯教授代表该组织接受了该奖项。

其他获奖者包括：国家语言学界泰斗级人物、荣誉教授拿督阿斯玛·奥马尔（杰出学术成就奖）；海龟保护主义者陈英恒教授（环境与地球健康奖）；以及两届残奥会金牌得主、羽毛球运动员谢力厚，他获得了希望独立奖。

三位院士也获得了表彰，分别是：在科学、技术和创新领域获得表彰的荣誉教授 Datin Paduka Datuk Dr Aini Ideris 和荣誉教授 Datuk Dr Asma Ismail，以及因其毕生致力于推动马来西亚科学、技术和创新而获得特别独立奖的荣誉教授 Tan Sri Dr Omar Abdul Rahman。

这些奖项由霹雳州苏丹纳兹林沙颁发，他同时也是独立奖信托基金的皇家赞助人和主席。

在颁奖典礼的致辞中，妮可表示，获得这项荣誉是她一生中最自豪的时刻之一，并称这不仅是对她体育成就的认可，也是对她为马来西亚走向世界舞台所做贡献的肯定。

“我职业生涯中或许赢得过职业冠军、世界冠军和无数体育奖项，但没有什么能与此刻相提并论，因为这个奖项所代表的意义远远大于我的体育生涯。”

“它代表着为国家服务……给了我梦想、追求梦想的机会，让我成为今天的我，并希望能够激励下一代相信他们也能拥有超越自身想象的梦想，”她说。

与此同时，艾哈迈德·法伊扎尔在一份声明中表示，该奖项不仅是对马来西亚仁爱基金会过去 27 年所取得成就的认可，也是对成千上万马来西亚人所展现的集体服务精神的认可。

他表示，这一认可增强了该组织继续推进人道主义领导、增强韧性、赋能社区的决心，以应对日益复杂的人道主义挑战，包括气候紧急情况、冲突和公共卫生威胁。

马来西亚仁慈组织在同一份声明中表示，自 1999 年成立以来，该组织已在包括马来西亚在内的 35 个国家开展了 500 多项人道主义援助任务，为受灾害、冲突、突发公共卫生事件和流离失所影响的社区提供服务。

该组织表示，其工作包括紧急医疗救援和灾害应对、加强医疗保健系统、心理健康支持、减少灾害风险、人道主义教育和社区赋权。

“对于马来西亚慈济基金会而言，这份荣誉不仅属于该组织本身，也属于成千上万的志愿者。”

志愿者、工作人员、人道主义工作者、捐助者、合作伙伴和支持者都做出了贡献

过去二十年来，我们投入了大量的时间、专业知识和资源来服务人类。

声明中说：“最重要的是，这个奖项献给那些在人生中最艰难的时刻信任马来西亚仁慈基金会的社区。”

今年，获奖者是在马来西亚和国际范围内经过广泛遴选后选出的，候选人包括个人和组织，评选标准基于其贡献的卓越性和可持续影响。——马新社

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