Centennial Celebration of the Scouts Association of Malaysia

The Centennial Celebration of the Scouts association of Malaysia (SAM) was held on Saturday April 25, 2009 at Stadium Negara Kuala Lumpur. It was a mammoth gathering of scouts from all over the country. Among the VIPs present were YABhg Tun Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi, Presiden Agung SAM; YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia; Y Bhg Dato' Seri Dr. Hj. Shafie bin Hj. Mohd. Salleh, the Chief Scout of Malaysia; YB Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, the Minister for Youth and Sports; Y Bhg. Dato' Ahmad Fuad bin Ismail, the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur; members of the Scouts Councils at the State and the national levels; the State & District Scout Commisioners; various officials of SAM, the scouts representing the respective states and members of the public. The stadium was full. In conjunction with the celebration there was a two-day exhibition of the Scouting Movement in Malaysia.
2. Three speeches were delivered. In his welcoming address, Dato' Seri Hj. Shafie, highlighted the principles and activities of scouting that bond and unify the people of Malaysia. The scouting activities are guided by its strategic plan. YABhg Tun Abdullah in his speech related his involvement in scouting whilst in school and had served as a troop leader. Scouting unites the people and developes individuals to be healthy, responsible, loyal, thrifty. He believes that a scout will do well in life and that 'once a scout, always a scout'. In the opening address, the DPM believed that scouting is the foundation for prosperity as it brings about national integration, self-confidence, versatility and that it supports the concept of One Malaysia. The Job Week experience gives a scout the attributes to be a successful man. He gave the undertaking, as the Minister of Education, to encourage scouting in schools.
3. The Scout Movement was founded in England by Lord Baden-Powell in 1907. It found its way to Malaysia early as the following year, 1908 an experimental scout group at YMCA Penang was established. It then spread to Selangor and under the able leadership of its first Chief Commissioner, Frank Cooper Sands, who assumed office in 1910, scouting spread througout the country. Scouting found its way to many countrie in the world.
4. Scouting has found such a popular following throughout the world because of its promise, laws and the activities that teach one to love and enjoy nature. Its promise and laws provide the fundamental to successful living as a scout promise to do his best to perform his duties to God, King and country; to help people at all times and to follow the laws which advocate that he is to be trusted, loyal, useful and help others,a friend to all, courteous, friendly to animals, smiles under difficulties, thrifty and clean in thought, words and deed. The scout's many activities outdoors are driven by the Founder's belief that 'a boy is likely to find God in the open air than in constant teaching and preaching in stuffy surroundings or in a slum environment' and these include pioneering, camping, cooking, tracking, knowledge of plants and animals, exercise for health and dealing with accidents.
5. Scouting activities bring HAPPINESS. Happiness is the purpose of living. Lord Baden-Powell is a strong proponent of HAPPINESS as he said in his book 'Rovering to Success' that the only true success is happiness and that 'we were put into this world of wonders and beauty with a special ability to appreciate them, in some cases to have the fun of taking a hand in developing them, and also in being able to help other people instead of overreaching them and through it all, to enjoy life - that is, TO BE HAPPY'.
6. I have been associated with scouting since school and have been actively involved in the many outdoor activities to obtain my badges - pioneering, camping, swimming, cooking etc attaining the Bushman's Tong. It was the scouting movement that had provided the strong foundation for my love for the outdoor, for my active health regime, for my passion for nature and its conservation, for my active participation in community work, for my intellectual success; all these cumulatively have contributed to my happy life.