By Nisrin Amani
KUALA LUMPUR, 4 December 2021: A total of five Paralympic athletes received special Paralympic awards which were presented for the first time in honour of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The awards were given to commemorate their achievement for winning the medals at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games recently.
Three para athletes, Bonnie Bunyau Gustin (powerlifting), Cheah Liek Hou (badminton), and Abdul Latif Romly (long jump), all of whom won gold medals in their respective sports at the Games, received the awards.
The special Paralympic awards were also given to two silver medallists Jong Yee Khie (powerlifting) and Chew Wei Lun (boccia).
Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob handed the awards to the athletes last night at the Majlis Malam Kasih Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU) Keluarga Malaysia.
Also present were Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM), Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Haru, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim, Minister of Federal Territories, Datuk Seri Dr. Shahidan Kassim, and OKU Sentral Association President, Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi.
Bonnie’s father, Gustin Jenang, 54, was awarded the Ibu Bapa Mithali OKU award to acknowledge and appreciate parents’ sacrifices in raising and taking care of children with disabilities, contributing to the empowerment of Persons With Disabilities (PwD) in Malaysia.
During the event, five additional award categories were also awarded to recipients which included organisations, employers, corporate companies, government agencies, and people who are creative in developing special inventions for the disabled.
Among the categories are the Award for Policy of One Percent PwD in the Public Service which was received by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, Ministry of National Unity, Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives for ensuring that more people with disabilities were given room and chances to work in the public sector.
Apart from that, three Community Rehabilitation Organisations (PPDK) – Seri Malindo, Melaka; Miri, Sarawak; and Wakaf Tapai in Terengganu – to acknowledge and honour the efforts and dedication of PPDK trainees in terms of management, administration, rehabilitation, learning, training, and job placement.
For the Caring Employer Award, five private companies which are QSR Brands (M) Holdings Bhd, Lotus’s Stores (M) Sdn Bhd, Perusahaan Saudee Sdn Bhd, Extramil Export Industry Sdn Bhd, and The Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Corp (M) Sdn Bhd were given the awards in recognition of their excellent assistance as employers in hiring the disabled through the Social Welfare Department’s ‘Job Coach’ programme.***
Source: Astro Awani