A total of 335 Scout members were awarded stars and medals for their active participation and support towards the Penang Scout Movement during the Star, Medal and King’s Scout 2022 award ceremony today.
The ceremony was organised by the Scouts Association of Malaysia Penang.
Out of the 335 recipients, 27 junior Scout members were conferred with the King’s Scout certificate, which is known as the highest Scouting award in the junior Scouts category.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who was present during the ceremony, was awestruck by the commitment and dedication showed by the members, particularly the junior ones, which has given them the due recognition they deserved today.
“As the first state to establish the National Scout Movement in this country in the early 1900, it is the state’s responsibility to ensure the Penang Scout Movement remains prestigious and excels in relevant areas deemed crucial to accelerate the entity’s image nationwide.
“As a voluntary organisation (Scout) that has members from young to old, Scout is without doubt seen as an organisation that is very well-known to nurture and prepare individuals, especially the young people, to be disciplined, to have a mission and vision in life, while coaching them to be responsible citizens.
“All methods and programmes used universally are deemed important to prepare the individuals to face all kinds of eventualities in the future, especially if it involves communities,” Chow said in his speech during the Star, Medal and King’s Scout 2022 award ceremony at the TOP Penang today.
The guest of honour was the Penang Governor Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak, who is also the patron of the Scouts Association of Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Chow also regarded the participation of Scout members in Penang as an important factor to alleviate the state’s Penang2030 vision of ‘A Family-Focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation’.
“Their vision and mission are in line with what we want to achieve here in Penang, which is to curb social issues among the youth.
“As an organisation driven to lead and discipline the majority, the state views the values carried by Scout members as important assets to help create civilised communities,” Chow added.
National Scout chief commissioner Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Zin Bidin, during his speech, said the Scouts Association of Malaysia is currently focused on areas such as digitalisation, sustainable development goals (SDGs), promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) events, innovation and so on.
“Scout members in Penang are truly lucky and must be proud for residing in a state that is equipped with so many state-of-the-art facilities, enabling the chance to tap into the existing wonders to drive the objectives of the organisation nationwide,” Zin said during his speech.
Earlier, Chow was presented with the International Friendship Award by the Korea Scouts Association.
Also present during the award ceremony was state Youth and Sports Committee chairman Soon Lip Chee, who is also the Scouts Association of Malaysia Penang deputy president.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud
Video by Alissala Thian