SINGAPORE – Community champions, passionate athletes and those who made an impact with their selfless acts are among the eight nominees for 2022’s The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award.
The annual award, now in its eighth year, aims to recognise a Singaporean person or group for making an impact in society. It also pays tribute to Singaporeans who have put the country on the world map or persevered to overcome great adversity.
The nominees for 2022 were unveiled over the past few months.
Public voting begins on Sunday and will close in two weeks, on Jan 7, at 7pm. Votes can be cast at str.sg/soty2022vote. The winner will be announced at a ceremony on Feb 9.
A panel of judges comprising Straits Times editors, UBS representatives and individuals who have made their mark in various fields will make the final decision in January, while also taking into account the results of the public vote.
The following are the eight nominees:
Charanjit Singh Walia and Priveen Suraj Santakumar
Mr Charanjit Singh Walia, 65, and Mr Priveen Suraj Santakumar, 34, are two Singaporeans who are doing good far away from home.
When the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in February, Mr Priveen was devastated to hear about the plight of those fleeing their homeland to seek refuge in Poland.
The former nurse packed his bags and flew to Poland, expecting to render medical assistance to the injured. Instead, he found himself cooking for the masses alongside fellow Singaporean Charanjit.
Mr Charanjit has been living in Poland for the past 25 years, and started giving free vegetarian meals to the needy there in 2017. When the war began, he expanded his kitchen capacity and started cooking for the refugees.
The two Singaporeans fed the hungry and did their best to keep everyone warm and full.
Anson Ng
Mr Anson Ng, 55, a car dealer, pays for the funerals of strangers and helps fulfil the last wishes of elderly people on their deathbeds.
He also runs Hao Ren Hao Shi (Good People, Good Deeds), a ground-up movement set up in 2018 that distributes provisions monthly to the needy. The project helps 1,000 households every month and taps volunteers from primary schools to pack and distribute the items.
Mr Ng gets calls and messages from those who need help paying for their loved ones’ medical bills or funeral arrangements, or with matters concerning the last rites. He receives these calls and messages at all hours, but Mr Ng said he cannot imagine not helping.
Khairiah Hanim Mazlan
Gojek driver Khairiah Hanim Mazlan feels strongly about the topic of mental health. When passengers get into her car, she engages in conversation with them, asking how they are feeling and gauging if they need help.
From 1997 to 2003, she was a prison officer who was assigned to check on suicidal inmates every half an hour.
As a private-hire driver, she talked a passenger out of killing herself at an office building late one night in September 2021. The woman had confided in her after tearing up in the back seat during the ride to the building, and Ms Khairiah took her to have a cup of coffee so she could spend more time talking to her, before driving her home.
Alison Lim and Anjang Rosli
Ms Alison Lim, 65, and Mr Anjang Rosli, 58, are supporting others amid their own struggles. They both have young-onset dementia, which means that they were diagnosed with the neurological condition before they were 60 years old.
They personally support dozens of people with disabilities as well as the caretakers of these people, by helping those who may not know how to manage the physical and mental decline that comes with dementia.
To help reduce the stigma associated with the condition, Mr Anjang founded the Chapal Malay Dementia Community on Facebook in 2020, and is working with his counterparts in Malaysia on developing educational modules for caregivers.
Ms Lim founded Dementia & Co with her daughter to create safe spaces for engaging in dialogues to destigmatise dementia, and organise activities like tea sessions and outings for those with disabilities and their caregivers.
Moonlake Lee
Ms Moonlake Lee, 53, wanted to reach out to those affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and create a safe space for those with the condition after her elder daughter was diagnosed with it in 2018. Ms Lee was also diagnosed with ADHD in 2019, at the age of 50.
She started the Unlocking ADHD organisation in 2021 to be the first point of support for those with the condition and to help them find a community, information about ADHD and tools for managing it.
About 200 volunteers, of whom 160 have ADHD or have family members with the condition, have helped to manage support groups for more than 2,000 people and run events.
Terry Hee and Jessica Tan
National badminton players Terry Hee, 27, and Jessica Tan, 29, saw their mixed doubles career take flight after tying the knot in 2021. They have won four titles in the past 14 months, including the Czech Open in October 2021 and the Commonwealth Games in England in August.
In Birmingham, they beat favourites Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith, ranked No. 10 in the world, to lift the title. It was Singapore’s first Commonwealth Games gold in badminton since Li Li’s women’s singles title in Manchester in 2002.
Their accomplishments came even though they were unable to play together for several years, with Ms Tan undergoing surgery on her shoulder in 2018 and her knee in 2020, and Mr Hee enlisting for national service in 2019.
Associate Professor Too Heng-Phon
Associate Professor Too Heng-Phon, 62, a biochemist, has been on a quest for more than two decades to build up Singapore’s capabilities as a scientific powerhouse.
His work aims to advance biomedicine in Singapore and nurture talents in the industry.
Companies that are headed by Prof Too and his former students are working towards making an impact in areas from cancer treatment and diagnosis to sustainable food production. One of their companies, Mirxes, is responsible for the world’s first test kit to detect early-stage gastric cancer through a blood test, or liquid biopsy.
Feng Tianwei
National table tennis player Feng Tianwei, 36, moved Singaporeans with her performance at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August, pulling through with a win in the women’s singles final.
The win was a big one for her – she overcame an opponent 10 years her junior and the victory came even as she faced health issues. She had had heart palpitations after taking a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in January, and as a result was forced to halt her practice and halve her training load when she resumed training.
About the award
Over the years, the award has been given to outstanding Singaporeans in various fields.
Last year, it went to Mr Sakthibalan Balathandautham, who donated part of his liver to a one-year-old child after he came across a plea online from a young couple.
In 2020, front-line workers were collectively named Singaporean of the Year, for their hard work in the fight against Covid-19.
The Singaporean of the Year will get a trophy and $20,000, presented by UBS, which has supported the award since its inauguration. Other individuals or groups chosen as finalists by the panel of judges will receive $5,000 each.
The top award recipient will also receive a five-night stay at any of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels’ global properties and a three-night stay at Raffles Hotel Singapore. Other finalists will get a three-night stay at any of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels’ global properties.
Singapore Airlines is sponsoring a pair of business class tickets for the Singaporean of the Year, and a pair of economy class tickets for the other finalists.
