SHAH ALAM, 10 Dec: National Laureate, Datuk A.Samad Said, was chosen as the recipient of the Lim Lian Geok Spirit Award, a prestigious award in the field of Chinese education, which was presented on 15 December in Kuala Lumpur.
The award, given for the 26th time, was named after the famous Chinese education figure prior to independence and is rarely given to Malays, Malaysia Kini reported.
A statement from the organisers of the Cultural Development Centre, Lim Lian Geok, A.Samad Said was chosen because he is famous for being a literary fighter that is brave to come forward to defend the rights of mother tongues and is not weary in spurring people’s reform movements.
Fondly known as Pak Samad, he once led the movement to abolish the Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) learning system.
Samad’s nomination was proposed by activist, Dr Wong Chin Huat.
The Lim Lian Geok Spirit Award was first organised on 18 December 1988.
During this period, 55 figures and 25 organisations were given recognition.
It aims to provide recognition to individuals or organisations that serve to encourage preservation of ethnic cultures and survival of native tongues.