Farhan Julaihi
Winners of National Youth Day Awards for the 2020 categories received their accolades during the 16th National Youth Day Celebration at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas on August 7.
The winners were awarded for their achievements and contributions as youth to the country and society.
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam attended the event and presented the trophies.
Four categories were announced, namely the Excellent Youth Award, Youth Service Award, Young Youth Leaders Award and the Excellent Project for Youth Award.
Winner of the Excellent Youth Award Mohd Adi Salihin bin Roslan emerged from 32 other nominees as he brought pride to the country by winning the gold medal during the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Phillippines, alongside his other victories.
Mohd Adi Salihin expressed that he did not initially think that he would win the award against the other nominees, but said he was proud and honoured to have received such a prestigious award.
He highlighted that his journey to success was not easy, but with the support of his family and coach who pushed him to keep working hard, he prevailed and became the person who he is today.
Mohd Adi Salihin added that without the support of his family, he never would have thought that he could be as successful.
Sharing advice to the youth and the future generation, he said, “I believe that we are not the best, but we can always do anything to the fullest of potential. My coach once said the more you give, the more you receive.”
The winner of the Young Youth Leaders Award was Haji Mohammad Loqman Al-Hakim bin Haji Hamdan, the founder and leader of Al-Huffaz Management, who was selected out of 22 other candidates for the accolade.
He expressed his gratitude to Allah the Almighty and said he felt honoured to have received the award.
Even though his name was mentioned as the winner for the award, he said he felt that the success was due to the teamwork of his organisations.
He dedicated the award to his team and family members who have been with them since 2016.
Haji Mohammad Loqman Al-Hakim, whose other achievements include receiving the Country Star of the Year ASEAN Business Awards (ABA) 2020, shared that his journey to success was not easy as it was filled with ups and downs.
However, he highlighted that “we must always enjoy the journey and learn from it, if we reach a high, we must enjoy it and if we hit rock bottom, we must also enjoy the journey”. He added that they have been through ups and downs which led to tears, but in the end they were honoured after receiving the award.
Imparting some words of wisdom, he said, “For the youth, find your passion and stick to it. Always have the right intentions for Allah the Almighty and finally, build the future generation that is useful and beneficial to the country and religion.”
Meanwhile, Noorhafizah binti Haji Rashid gained her the Excellent Project for Youth Award for ‘Big BWN Project’, which gave a platform to local businesses to expand their business in an online setting.
The project has opened up employment opportunities and has helped people who were unemployed or other businesses to gain the exposure needed to succeed.
After winning the award, she was humbled and joyful, and said she felt lucky to have won the award over the other 26 projects nominated in the category.
Her achievement made her determined to be more successful and enthusiastic to do more good work for the community in the future.
Her journey to success was due to the endless support by those around her. She extended her gratitude to the public, the agencies and friends who had had her back from the beginning and helped her run the projects.
Her advice to the future generation is, “Never give up and always keep fighting for a good future for yourself and the country.”
Another recipient for the 2020 category was Haji Abdul Mateen Bolkini bin Haji Ahmad, who won the Youth Service Award.
Haji Abdul Mateen Bolkini showed excellent leadership in the field of volunteerism and mosque youth in several organisations, and won the award ahead of 31 other candidates.
He expressed his gratitude to Allah the Almighty for providing him with energy to serve his community. He also thanked His Majesty’s Government for providing a platform and opportunities to benefit from as well as opportunities to serve the religion, monarch and country.
Speaking on his journey to success, he said he was inspired by the people he met. The Youth Service Award winner also expressed appreciation to his parents, who shaped his moral values and had given him endless support to be active in beneficial activities.
He advised, “Always keep fighting and never give up. Whatever we pursue must be with the intention of getting closer to Allah the Almighty.
“Believe that everything that happens is a blessing in disguise; and always take hardship as a lesson.”
