Who does the Perak Sultan admire? Mercy Malaysia founder Jemilah Mahmood, Bill Gates, Deng Xiaoping

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah named Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood as among leaders he greatly admires, following her effort in propelling Mercy Malaysia, the NGO she founded in 1999, to become a leading player in domestic and international disaster response and humanitarian relief.

Jemilah was among the four leaders, which Sultan Nazrin said had displayed the key characteristic and qualities of leadership and leadership energy.

“Dr Jemilah had a successful career here in Kuala Lumpur as a gynaecologist. Yet she was motivated, driven in fact, to leave behind her comfortable middle-class life and take ‘the path less-travelled’ as she puts it.

“Inspired by a powerful duty to help those less fortunate, she has devoted her humanitarian mission to providing assistance to some of the neediest people in the world, in her case those affected by natural and man-made disasters,” he said in his keynote address at the opening of the Leadership Energy Summit Asia 2018 organised by ICLIF Leadership and Governance Centre yesterday.

The other three leaders which Sultan Nazrin named are Bill Gates, the principal founder of Microsoft Corporation, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International, and the paramount leader of China, the late Deng Xiaoping.

Sultan Nazrin said Dr. Jemilah is motivated by a desire to show the world that a woman and someone from a non-Western background could contribute in the area of humanitarian assistance.

“She has certainly met and exceeded this goal, as attested to by one of her peers, who described her as a rare species, as someone who so fully represents and lives her humanitarian values,” he said.

He also believes that Dr Jemilah’s legacy may well endure long into the future, just as she sets a shining example of leadership in the present.

Sultan Nazrin also praised Mercy Malaysia for not only delivering medical assistance in war-zones and disaster areas in countries around the world, but also for providing an outlet for Malaysians who seek to use their skills to help others.

He also pointed out that importance of having courageous and visionary leadership, saying it is something needed now more than ever.

“These leadership traits are crucial in meeting the ever-growing challenges and to take full advantage of the ever-growing opportunities in a fast-changing world,” he said.  

“Every new day, new challenges are thrown at us; and every new day, a leader emerges.

“The sheer force of personality that is required, along with the other qualities that characterise dynamic leadership, can indeed be found in anyone. It can also perhaps be fostered and nurtured with sufficient motivation and training,” he added.