Of these, 100 candidates were recognised for their contribution to the betterment of humanity in education and research, public service, politics, charity work and various other fields.

Among them were seven Malaysian organisations and individuals: Pure Life Society, Malaysia Corruption Watch, Malaysian Indian Armed Forces Veterans of Penang, Dr Florance Manoranjitham Sinniah, R Naraesh Pillai, Penang Tanjung Muslim Association president Mohamed Nasir Mohideen and Humaniti Malaysia secretary-general Ahmad Tarmizi Mukhtar.

Tarmizi was recognised for his excellence in the field of social work, and his track record clearly shows why.

The Terengganu-born accountant has gone to Bangladesh and helped thousands of stranded Rohingya. He has built hospitals in military-armed refugee camps and campaigned for refugees’ rights.

To commemorate World Humanitarian Day, which is today, FMT speaks with Tarmizi about his role in Humaniti Malaysia and how his work with the persecuted Rohingya people has changed his life.

Tarmizi, 45, has been the secretary-general of Humaniti Malaysia since it was established in 2014 with the aim of helping victims of war and religious and ethnic conflict.

He works closely with its president, Syed Hamid Albar, who was once the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s special envoy to Myanmar, which allowed Humaniti Malaysia to be well connected to global intelligence agencies including in Bangladesh.

This gave Humaniti access to the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar in the wake of the 2017 Myanmar genocide.

“For two weeks I was there with Perlis Raja Muda Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail, and we developed six community centres for the refugees to use for prayers and other activities,” Tarmizi says.

“We also distributed three lorries of food and other humanitarian aid, consisting of medical kits and essentials like rice, sugar and cooking oil.”

Tarmizi witnessed heartbreaking sights that haunt him to this day. “We saw patients lying on the floors and in corridors as there weren’t enough hospital beds,” he says, recalling the stench of 1.2 million refugees crammed into a small space.

“One child, just 12 years old, was shot with a bullet in his leg but had to wait for seven days until surgery.”

Humaniti Malaysia’s presence at the camp coincided with a visit by then deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and Tarmizi was compelled to speak up.

He and the Raja Muda approached Zahid with their concerns, which resulted in the Malaysian government’s decision to build three hospitals in Cox’s Bazar. This helped prevent more lives from being lost.

According to Tarmizi, Humaniti Malaysia initiated a paper in 2016 to present to the United Nations assembly in New York to change the perceptions of world leaders on the displaced Rohingya people.

“After that, even our Asean news started focusing more on Myanmar,” he says, adding that the UN soon called out Myanmar for its discrimination against the minority group.

Tarmizi’s work didn’t end after his working visit to Bangladesh. He continued to campaign fervently for Rohingya refugees in Malaysia, and Humaniti Malaysia built schools across the country for the hundreds of children orphaned in the genocide.

In 2017, he stopped one of the schools from being demolished. “The Selangor state government was clearing land in Sri Kembangan and it wanted to turn the school into a water retention pond,” he explains.

“I went to Parliament and persuaded them to spare 5% of the land for the school, asking them not to demolish it.”

Tarmizi’s request was honoured and the school still stands in Sri Kembangan today. It remains a spark of hope for 120 refugee students and teachers.

In the years since, Humaniti Malaysia has continued to donate food and medical aid to refugees in Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as look after the education and wellbeing of Rohingya children in Malaysia.

More recently though, because of the pandemic, the NGO has turned its attention to local frontliners by distributing medical kits and food all around the nation.

Last year, it handed out aid packs to police and Rela personnel at 10 roadblocks between Sungai Besi in Selangor and Johor Bahru.

You’d never guess that before he was riding in the back of military trucks and saving lives, Tarmizi spent his days crunching numbers.

“I never expected this as I’m an accountant and I look at statistics and facts,” he says with a laugh.

He used to work at the Land Public Transport Commission (then SPAD) as a special officer to its chairman, who was Syed Hamid. The former minister of foreign affairs brought Tarmizi on board at Humaniti Malaysia, and it has been an eye-opening and life-changing experience ever since.

“To have this opportunity to help others is a privilege, and I don’t see it as a challenge or a problem,” Tarmizi says in reflection.

“I’m very happy to have this small privilege to help and I will do it anytime, anywhere.

“You never know if you’ll still be alive tomorrow. So if you have the opportunity today, just do it. It’s the act of love that counts.”