KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyer-turned-activist Ambiga Sreenevasan was this evening honoured for her advocacy by the Gandhi Memorial Trust, a charitable trust with Malaysian trustees.
The former Bar Council president was presented with the award by Harry Nadarajah, chairman of the trust, at the launch of the United Nations international day of non-violence.
The UN day also marked the 154th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who propounded his doctrine of non-violent protest which led to India’s independence.
In accepting the award, Ambiga, a former co-chair of electoral reform group Bersih, quipped:
“I suppose being a thorn in the side of those in the corridors of power is indeed a public service.”
Ambiga said any move to change the world must begin with children. “Uplift children, and you uplift society.”
She dedicated her award to the Pure Life Society, a charitable home for the orphaned and underprivileged, of which she is the president.
Other Malaysians previously honoured by the trust include environmentalist Gurmit Singh, consumer rights advocate Anwar Fazal and the late Mother Mangalam, former Pure Life Society president, who was regarded as the Malaysian Mother Teresa.