I bring greetings to you from the people of my nation. I thank you for the privilege accorded me to visit your wonderful country, and for all the hospitalities you have extended to me. I am deeply moved with a sense of gratitude to the Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation for the great honor conferred upon me, and I am honored as you honor my country today on its Day of Independence.

In accepting the award, my thoughts are of my country, my family, my friends, and those with whom I share the responsibilities of government service. This honor is not only for me but for all the people of Malaysia. For this recognition I am thankful to God and to all who have helped me and made this honor possible.

I am happy that the award links me, however remotely, with the name of a great soul, known to the world for his ideals, integrity, and devotion to service. Thus I am proud to receive the award in the name of Ramon Magsaysay—the illustrious son of the Philippines whom the world pauses to remember on his eighty-second birth anniversary today. For me, it is a moment of humility, a moment of awareness that it is the service that counts and not the individual who is its instrument. Therefore the award will always remind me of how much still remains to be done. It will inspire me to strive for excellence in my calling and to serve the best interests of my fellow citizens.

The award is also an honor that I shall not forget to share with the women of my country, since I am the first Malaysian woman to receive it. Also, I can honestly imagine no greater recognition for the archival institution that I represent. It will be a source of continuing inspiration to my colleagues at the National Archives of Malaysia, as well as to my counterparts in archival institutions elsewhere in Asia. All will be gratified to note that the unglamorous and unobtrusive work of the archivist does not go unacknowledged.