00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Returning for the ninth year, the Star Golden Hearts Award
00:06 SGHA continues to pay tribute to Malaysians
00:10 for their social contribution and good deeds.
00:14 However, competition stiffens for the panel
00:17 of esteemed judges to handpick the best
00:20 among the 731 nominations.
00:24 The judges say they have scored the nominees
00:26 based on various areas, including sustainability,
00:30 originality, and impact of their initiatives.
00:34 Alliance for a Safe Community Chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thai,
00:38 has been the chief judge for nine consecutive years.
00:42 I keep looking at their contributions.
00:44 I think each one of them, I think, has its own strength.
00:48 And I must say that it is very, very competitive indeed.
00:52 They have achieved whatever they're
00:54 able to do, bring immense benefit,
00:56 not to those who benefit from their project,
00:59 but to Malaysia as a whole.
01:01 And I would say that this is really
01:04 what I would call the people who should
01:07 be given due recognition.
01:09 And that's the reason why I feel very proud that I'm
01:14 able every night, every year, to do my part to identify them
01:19 and to really, I think, award them as the true unsung
01:24 heroes in Malaysia.
01:26 Star Media Group Chief Content Officer Esther Ng
01:29 says the nominees' quality of work
01:32 has improved over the years.
01:34 And the task to shortlist the 10 winners is not easy.
01:38 This is my fifth year of judging.
01:41 And as the years go by, I find that the nominees
01:46 are getting better, actually.
01:48 It's more difficult to choose the best among everybody
01:51 because everybody is so good.
01:53 This is something that the star is very proud of.
01:55 It's something that we are proud of to be part of
01:58 because we have always been very big on people's stories.
02:02 The nominees have proven to be very capable.
02:06 I'm most impressed by their willingness
02:09 to offer their services and to put other people's first.
02:13 There are a lot of do-gooders out there.
02:15 It's our job to recognize them and to give
02:17 some acknowledgement and encouragement to these people.
02:21 For Yayasan Gamuda Head TS Lim Hui Yan,
02:24 being a judge has been an eye-opener for her
02:27 to learn that creating an impact to either society, community
02:31 or the environment transcends monetary value.
02:34 I get inspired through all the stories.
02:36 And you know that you can actually do more
02:38 and kindless go beyond boundaries.
02:41 There's a lot of things that we can do.
02:43 It's not necessary in the form of money.
02:45 You do not need to donate a lot of money
02:46 to create a great impact to either society,
02:49 community or even environment.
02:51 There are a lot of ways, creative ways.
02:53 And you start thinking from all the nominations you see,
02:56 what else we as a corporate can do for the society?
03:00 We look at the most, or I personally look at the most,
03:02 is sustainability of that effort.
03:04 We need the unsung hero to find that magic recipe
03:07 that make it work and long-lasting
03:09 and create greater impact
03:10 and possibly ripple effect of kindness and change.
03:13 Meanwhile, Gamuda Berhardt, Group Chief,
03:15 Sustainability Officer, Ong Jie Lian,
03:18 says the impact of the initiatives is also important
03:22 in determining the winners.
03:24 It's basically the end beneficiaries and the impact.
03:28 Whether it really makes a difference to the person's life.
03:31 Very basic.
03:32 Do they get a job?
03:33 Do they get an appointment?
03:34 Do they get an education?
03:35 Because it's not so much about giving them the fish,
03:37 but teaching them how to fish.
03:39 So I think it's to see how sustainable
03:41 and for the organisation or for the individual,
03:43 whether they have a good blueprint, a roadmap,
03:46 to ensure that they have a proper plan
03:48 to push this through again.
03:50 Prominent social activist, Saik Azmi Ah Hap Shi,
03:54 says the nominees continue to inspire him
03:56 on how they contribute to other people's lives.
04:00 I always learn doing these things
04:01 and I think that they teach me so much more
04:04 and we cannot wait for the star and the awards
04:07 to share their visions
04:08 and what they can teach all of us after this.
04:11 He also provides some insights into the judging process.
04:14 So in the judging room,
04:16 everybody thinks that they will just be shrieking
04:18 and "hentak-hentak me je".
04:19 No, it doesn't happen that way.
04:20 We're very civilised.
04:21 But we pinpoint the things that we see based on the deck
04:25 and we bring out the best that we see from each nominee.
04:29 That is how it happens.
04:31 At the end of the day,
04:33 we wanted to see how it's not just one person
04:38 or one organisation can do,
04:39 but how others can also emulate and bring it up further.
04:43 And we do actually hope that one of them actually
04:45 manage to change policies in the government as well.
04:48 Child Protection Consultant
04:50 and former Social Welfare Department Assistant Director,
04:53 Wijaya Kumari Pilei,
04:55 says the impact and sustainability of the nominees' efforts
04:59 are pertinent for the judges to select this year's winners,
05:02 among other criteria.
05:04 Impactful for me is very important.
05:07 So maybe you impact on 100 lives or 200.
05:11 It's so important for that person because they will continue.
05:15 And there's always sustainability, which is very important.
05:18 There are many things that, which I'm a social worker,
05:21 which I, many years, thought I want to do this one,
05:25 but we never had funding, never no support.
05:27 I mean, there are people who get awards in other areas,
05:30 maybe from government, other agencies,
05:33 but these are really unsung heroes.
05:36 Nobody has celebrated them.
05:39 It's not about the amount of money they're getting.
05:41 To be recognised when they didn't expect it,
05:45 is really a good thing.
05:46 I think it just needs a bit more publicity.
05:50 Perak State Parks Corporation Director,
05:52 Shah Reza Husain,
05:54 is judging the SGHA for the first time.
05:57 The keen conservationist says
05:59 he had a wonderful time scoring the nominees,
06:02 as many had strong contributions.
06:05 The motivation for me to be the judge
06:08 is actually to showcase to Malaysians
06:11 what other Malaysians are doing
06:14 in terms of contributing to the nation and society.
06:19 And this is an opportunity that we reward them,
06:23 irregardless of the size of the reward.
06:24 It's something to acknowledge their work
06:27 and to reward them for their effort.
06:30 And hopefully this will be a catalyst
06:33 for other people to step forward
06:35 and showcase their work.
06:37 I'm sure there's so many other individuals
06:40 and organisations doing good work,
06:42 but having awards like this
06:45 will bring them out from the woodwork
06:47 and introduce themselves.
06:50 Another first-time judge
06:52 is Mohd Hafizul Khair Mohd Yusof,
06:55 who has vast experience in Malaysia's
06:57 social entrepreneurship scene.
07:00 He says SGHA stands out from other awards
07:04 as it genuinely aims to express appreciation
07:08 and recognises the altruistic dedication
07:11 by unsung heroes.
07:13 There are so many awards out there,
07:16 for many reasons.
07:17 But this award stands out not because of the money,
07:22 or not even because of the prizes,
07:25 but because it really appreciates the unsung heroes.
07:29 And it gives value to the work
07:32 that's being done by these people,
07:34 and gives the credits and credentials to them,
07:38 and to help them to pursue their social cause.
07:41 I like to see their pure intentions.
07:45 They don't do it for the money,
07:47 they don't do it for the fame,
07:49 they just want to help people.
07:51 SGHA is a joint effort by the star and Yayasan Gamuda
07:55 to celebrate Malaysians who make a positive impact
07:58 on society while promoting unity among the people.
08:02 This year's nominations are a good mix of individuals
08:06 and organisations championing various causes
08:10 such as community empowerment, education,
08:13 environment and wildlife, and social welfare.
08:17 The winners will be announced in November.
08:19 (upbeat music)
08:22 (upbeat music)
08:25 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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