Merdeka is just around the corner and we at RAAGA are going for a 24 hour celebration revolving around this sovereign country we call Malaysia and all her people! Here are 24 personalities from our homeland that you should know for their contribution to society and all they have done to put our beloved home on the map while on the endeavor of growing themselves! Let’s aspire to be more like these heroes shall we?

Abdul Samad Bin Muhammad Said 
Better known by his pen name, A. Samad Said is a Malaysian poet and novelist who received the Southeast Asia Write Award in 1979, and the National Laureate title for his continuous writings and contributions to the nation’s literary heritage. A native of a small village called Belimbing Dalam in Malacca; he graduated from Singapore’s Victoria School in 1956 with a Senior Cambridge Certificate, started working as a clerk in a hospital and achieved his ambition of becoming a full-time writer in Utusan Melayu, Warta Tebrau and Berita Harian.

The Late Yasmin Ahmad

Most Malaysians can still recall Yasmin’s heart-warming Petronas commercials during the festive seasons. These commercials were funny and depicted love and unity between all Malaysians. Her works have won multiple awards both within Malaysia and internationally. Born in Muar, Johor, Yasmin originally worked as a copywriter at Ogilvy & Mather before moving to Leo Burnett in 1993 as joint creative director. She soon rose to the position of executive creative director, and became well-known for her inspirational movies such as Rabun, Mukhsin, Talentime and more. In 2009, Yasmin suffered a stroke during a meeting. She was rushed to the hospital where she underwent a neurosurgery procedure. A few days later, she suffered a brain haemorrhage and passed away.

Lat

Datuk Mohammad Nor Khalid, more popularly known as Lat, is a Malaysian cartoonist. Lat is the winner of the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in 2002 and has published more than 20 volumes of cartoons since he was 13 years old. While in school, he supplemented his family’s income by contributing cartoon strips to newpapers and magazines. He was 13 years old when he published his first comic book, Tiga Sekawan Menangkap Pencuri (Three Friends Catch A Thief). Lat is best known for his work The Kampung Boy, which was published in several countries across the world. His works mostly illustrate Malaysia’s social and political scenes, portraying them in a comedic light without bias.

Dato’ Sheila Majid

Dubbed as the “Malaysian Queen of Jazz”, Dato’ Sheila Majid has achieved regional and international recognition over the years with her trademark contemporary- pop songs with a bit of jazz and R&B repertoire. She has won the prestigious BASF Award (Indonesian Music Award) for Best Female Artist in an R&B category in 1987. In 1989, Dato’ Sheila Majid performed at the Tokyo Music Festival and remains the first and only Malaysian artist to successfully infiltrate the Japanese music market. She has performed at a sold-out concert at London’s West End Royalty theatre in 1996 and took the stage to perform at Ronnie Scotts in London, the jazz Mecca of the music world. She is also the first local artiste to perform at the Petronas Filharmonik Hall in 2000.

Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr. P. Ramlee
The Late Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr. P. Ramlee, better known as P. Ramlee, was a Malaysian film actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer and producer. He is the icon of Malay entertainment in Malaysia, Singapore and Sumatra due to his contributions to the movie and music industry and literary works. P.Ramlee was spotted at a cultural festival in early 1948 singing his own composition “Azizah.” He was spotted by director B.S. Rahjans who invited him to work as a back-up singer for Shaw Brothers studio films. His first acting role was in Cinta (1948) as a villain. In the next 18 years under the Malay Film Production unit of Shaw Brothers (popularly known as the Ampas Road studio) he acted, composed music and eventually wrote and directed dozens of Malay movies ranging from historical dramas to contemporary comedies. He won several acting and composing awards at the Asian Film Festival in the 1950s and 1960s.

David Arumugam
David Arumugam is a Malaysian Singer who is one of the founding members of the band called Alleycats. He is the elder brother of Loganathan Arumugam. On the 12th of February 2009, David Arumugam was conferred the Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang (DIMP) award which carries the title “Datuk” in conjunction with the Sultan of Pahang’s 74th Birthday on the 24th Oct 2008. The Alleycats is a Malaysian band, which was formed in 1969 and gained popularity in the late 1970’s. They consisted of musicians from Penang and gained popularity in their home state earlier on in their career. The Alleycats were always on top of the musical stage in Malaysia even before they were signed as recording artistes. Their line-up secured a performance contract in the Mocambo club situated in Central, a business sector on Hong Kong Island in 1976. They became a hit with the locals in Hong Kong.

Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza binti Tarudin

Malaysia’s “Pop Princess” Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza is a singer, songwriter, record producer, television presenter and businesswoman. Since her debut, she has won a number of international singing competitions. She was crowned the Voice of Asia in 2002 after winning the Grand Prix Champion title at the Voice of Asia singing competition, held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. To date, she has acquired more than 200 local and international awards since her debut at the age of 16. In 1998, she was chosen (amongst a handful of Malaysian artists) to perform during the closing ceremony of the 1998 Commonwealth Games. She performed in front of Queen Elizabeth II, her consort, Prince Philip, and other dignitaries and officials from 70 countries including those from the Commonwealth of Nations. In 2005, she became the first Southeast Asian singer to perform a solo concert at the Royal Albert Hall, while being backed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Her success in the Asian region has gained her honorific titles including “Voice of Asia” and “Asia’s Celine Dion”.

Stay tuned to RAAGA for Part 3!

Source: ExpatGo, David Arumugam