Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim congratulated Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh for becoming the first Malaysian and actress of Asian descent to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards.
In a Twitter post today (March 13), Anwar said that Yeoh's victory has made the country and Malaysians proud.
"I would like to congratulate Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh who was named Best Actress at the 95th Academy Awards for her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once.
"This indeed puts Malaysia's name on the global stage. I hope that this achievement will continue to inspire local artistes and filmmakers," he wrote.
Over on Facebook, Anwar wrote a lengthier post praising Yeoh.
"The Government joins the nation in expressing warmest and heartiest congratulations to Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh for winning the highly coveted Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles today," he said in the post.
"In creating history by being not just the first Malaysian but the very first Asian actress to win in this category, we take enormous pride in her achievement, adding to a long list of successes and capping a critically acclaimed acting career spanning decades.
"Coupled with this latest accomplishment, Michelle’s illustrious and exemplary career in this field will certainly continue to be a source of great inspiration and motivation to our homegrown actors and actresses and provide even greater impetus to the growth of our local industry.
"Way to go, Michelle!"
Yeoh, 60, won over Academy voters with her complex take on Evelyn Wang, a Chinese American laundromat owner in the indie movie, Everything Everywhere All At Once.
She is the first Malaysian and first Asian woman to win a Best Actress award in the Academy's 95-year history.
The Ipoh-born star bested Cate Blanchett, Ana De Armas, Michelle Williams and Andrea Riseborough for the coveted golden statuette.
Following her historic Oscar win, Yeoh has received congratulatory messages from thousands for not only putting Malaysia's name on the world map, but for representing the Asian community too.
On Instagram, Tengku Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, daughter of the Sultan of Selangor, congratulated Yeoh saying: "Huge congratulations @michelleyeoh_official we are so proud ... and my warm regards to Jean Todt."
"So well deserved and loved every word of your speech," female education activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient from Pakistan Malala Yousafzai commented on Instagram.
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