Year 2007 marked another turning point in MENDAKI's journey towards achieving its vision of a community of excellence.

Having served the Malay/Muslim community for more than two decades, MENDAKI has evolved from its beginnings as a service provider of tuition to becoming a strategic player in the community scene, where it has focused on capacity-building within the organisation. At the community level, it has also created 'community knowledge' which is shared with other Malay/Muslim organisations for their programmes.

Another significant milestone has been its role in galvanising the support of the Malay/Muslim Organisations to synergise their efforts and implement community projects under the ambit of the Community Leaders' Forum since 2003.

These milestones and many more were celebrated during MENDAKI 25th Anniversary Dinner and Awards Presentation on 2 September 2007. The celebration also captured the journey and progress made by the community over the past 25 years and will be held together with the annual Anugerah MENDAKI and Goh Chok Tong Youth Promise Award Presentation.

This year, the Malay/Muslim community was proud to witness a record high of 287 Anugerah MENDAKI winners receiving their awards. The number of students making the grades has increased multi-fold since it was first introduced in 1982 with only 11 students who received the award.

Joining the Anugerah MENDAKI Award winners on stage were 5 Goh Chok Tong (GCT) Youth Promise Award winners - 1 Distinction and 4 Merit. The award was a reflection

of the diversity, breadth and depth of talents in the Malay/Muslim community. It opens up opportunities to nurture and support young talents who want to embark and maximise their potential in the non-academic fields.

This celebrated occasion also set the stage for the official launch of the "THE NEXT WAVE" coffeetable book. The book highlighted the achievements of the community in the past 25 years and its aspirations for the future through the stories, struggles and achievements of talented young members of the Malay/Muslim community who come from various fields and backgrounds. We hope the portrayal of the community's talents will not only be a source of pride but also an inspiration to the community - both young and old alike, in their quest for excellence.

An estimated 1,200 guests comprising students and their parents, community leaders and representatives of Malay/Muslim Organisations, partners, sponsors and donors attended the dinner. Guests were entertained by a line-up of exciting and entertaining performances by young and talented performers as young as 10 years old.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong graced MENDAKI 25th Anniversary Dinner and Awards Presentation and deliver a speech.

Click here for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's Speech

Click here for Dr Yaacob's Speech