They duo, Dr Timothy William and Prof Balbir Singh, were named recipients of the award under the Health, Science and Technology category.
They were among six recipients of this year’s Merdeka Award in various categories.
Speaking about his passion in treating malaria cases, William, 47, said he realised that infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, cholera and typhoid were a major problem among those in the lower socio-economic group.
William carefully documented the clinical features of the “Plasmodium knowlesi” malaria parasite, as well as the risk factors and complications that arose from being infected.
Through research conducted in Sabah, he was able to produce effective ways of treating the infection and found that a delay in treating the parasite was directly related to the number of deaths.
Balbir, 62, was attached to Universiti Malaya Sarawak (Unimas), where he discovered that it was the monkey malaria parasite that was causing malaria in humans.
He showed that “Plasmodium knowlesi” was a potentially fatal form of malaria that was being misdiagnosed as benign Plasmodium malariae. His work placed malaria research on the world map.
Perak ruler, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah presented the Merdeka Award to the recipients at a grand ceremony at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall, in KLCC, last night.
The Merdeka Award, which was established in Aug 2007 in conjunction with the Merdeka Day celebration, is to recognise Malaysians and non-Malaysians for their contributions to the country.
Contribution to Islamic banking
Another recipient, Dr Abdul Halim Ismail was recognised for his contributions in the Education and Community category.
The setting-up of Bank Islam Malaysia in 1983, in which Halim played a pivotal role, encouraged Muslims to do banking.
Through the development and growth of Islamic banking, insurance and finance, Bank Islam Malaysia contributed enormously to the country’s economy.
Halim, who holds a doctorate in economics from Oxford University, said it had always been his dream to contribute to the betterment of religion while functioning in a modern institution.
Wildlife and forest conservation
In the Environment category, the award was presented to Tengku Zainal Abidin Tengku Mahamood for his discovery of various hiking trails in Mount Kinabalu and his contributions to marine conservation in Sabah.
He is the author of numerous books and initiated the conservation of Danum Valley and the Maliau Basin in Sabah.
In the Scholastic Achievement category, Prof Dr Masjuki Hassan was recognised for his instrumental role in research and development of biofuel and other sources of efficient energy using biofuel and automotive engines.
Professor Dr Anthony Crothers Milner was named a recipient of the award in the Outstanding Contribution to People of Malaysia category.
Milner, an Australian, specialises in Malay and Malaysian history. His research in Malaysian history has promoted better understanding of the nation’s identity, heritage and culture.