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| THE UNSUNG HEROES |
In every nation
there are stories of Unsung Heroes.
Stories of heroism unseen, sacrifices unknown, services that were rendered
for no other reason than an intense love of country. These are the key
takeaways in Maybank’s newest series of videos featuring the hidden stories of family
members of Maybankers that were released as part of the financial services
brand’s celebration of Malaysia’s 60 years of Independence last week.
Showcasing the
patriotic dedication displayed by many, the emotions and devotion of these
unsung heroes are seen through the eyes of a few of notable individuals that
have made great sacrifices for the peace of Malaysia.The first two videos of
the series feature the Former Chief of Army, Panglima Tentera Darat, General
Tan Sri Che Md Noor Mat Arshad; and Former Investigating Officer, SAC II Datuk
Foong Yee Kai who were both instrumental in fighting for peace in Malaysia.
“You only know the
value of peace, when you’ve gone through the conflicts,” said General Tan Sri
Che Md Noor. “You must be proud that we are the only country in the world that
managed to defeat militant communism!”
General Tan Sri Che
Md Noor Mat who joined the army in this late teens shared his story on how he
battled and survived the war at a young and impressionable age of 18 for the
love of this then fledgling country. He talks about his experience,
hardships, fears, challenges and ultimately
hope, as the nation defended itself against the communist threats of the era.
Today, Malaysia is
a prosperous multi-racial nation which has become one of the world’s leading
multi ethnic countries. Malaysia is also an advanced developing country with high
standards and quality of life that were built on the strong foundations provided
by the sacrifices and duty of individuals who selflessly gave of themselves in
the past.
Our Malaysian
heroes took it upon themselves to end the threats to our security at that time to
ensure that future generations would not experience the terrible tales that are
today seen as ancient history here. Their only dream was – and is – for
Malaysians to live in peace and harmony, with the mindset of moving forward
towards a shared future of equal prosperity and success.
“Maybank salutes
and pays tribute to our unsung heroes, family members of our Maybankers; who
fought for us in the name of honor, for freedom, and to ensure our security
then and now. Our Malaysian Unsung Heroes series showcases the sacrifices and
the troubled past of Malaysia in the time of our parents and grandparents; and
what they went through during the war to make a better Malaysia for us today.
Their stories are inspiring and I know that we wouldn’t be where we are today
without them. By learning from them, we may even see a way ahead for us to
further enhance what makes Malaysia a leader in, unity, multi
ethnicity, economic transformation, and the value of humanising every part of our
lives for a shared future that benefits us all,” said Datuk Abdul Farid Alias,
Group President and CEO of Maybank
Another featured
hero in this series is Former Investigating Officer, SAC II Datuk Foong Yee
Kai. When he joined the police force, little did he know he would end up
being a
jungle warrior fighting for the country’s independence, capturing
terrorists through intelligence, and leading the young police force of the day
in the fight for our safety and rule of law.
“I would tell
(Malaysians of today) that they must know the history, of why you are here, why
you’re this good, maybe they will learn (what is important),” said Datuk Foong
Yee Kai.
Datuk Foong also
talks about how his team was able to set up a meeting with the communist
leaders, and after much negotiations, were able to lay the foundation for
discussions that eventually led to the
signing of the peace agreement that was so crucial to the nation’s future.
The videos have already
been viewed more than 2.6 million times on Maybank’s social media channels to
date.
The beginning of a
series, Maybank publishedanother three inspirational videos of a similar vein which
was released on Malaysia Day (16 Sept 2017) with the aim of further fostering
the spirit of patriotism and unity for the nation in line with it’s mission of “Humanising
Financial Services”.
“With our initial
success on the first five stories, we are confident that the series of upcoming
stories will reach many Malaysians and inspire them to unite even more for a
better future. The sacrifices of our past leaders have allowed us to enjoy what
we have today and we should not lose sight of that in challenging times. The
future is ours – if we remember, and learn from our past” said Datuk Abdul Farid Alias,
Group President and CEO of Maybank.
For more
information on the Unsung Heroes Campaign, and to catch the new videos as they
are released log on to: https://www.facebook.com/Maybank/
About Maybank – Humanising Financial Services
Maybank
is among Asia's leading banking groups and South East Asia’s fourth largest
bank by assets. The Maybank Group has an international network of 2,400 offices
in 20 countries namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei
Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Hong Kong SAR & People's Republic
of China, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, Myanmar, Laos, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia,
Mauritius, Great Britain and the United States of America. The Group
offers an extensive range of products and services, which includes consumer and
corporate banking, investment banking, Islamic banking, stock broking,
insurance and takaful and asset management. It has over 44,000 employees
serving more than 22 million customers worldwide. (www.maybank.com)