Let us know why you deserve the honour

 

What do Marcus Rashford, Anthony Cleland and Christopher Vallimae have in common? They are not even remotely connected but share a common interest.

Football star Rashford continues to campaign to end hunger among children; Cleland had been cleaning the streets of Lambeth in south London for 25 years and Villimae - this postman goes above and beyond his routine duties - checks in on his clients in North Somerset, many of whom are elderly and have medical conditions.

All three are also among the select few who have been honoured by Queen Elizabeth II for their contributions to their communities in England.

So what’s the big deal, the reader may ask. If newspapers publish citations and the reasons for such honours, we will know the reasons and will appreciate the recipients.

At a time when people honoured with medals and titles are making headlines for all the wrong reasons, we can learn a thing or two from our past colonial masters.

Over the past two days, one Datuk Seri was being sought on money laundering charges; another was charged with molesting his daughter while a third did not attend court to face charges of cheating.

Before that, there were at least a dozen titled people who had a run-in with the law and the list seems to be getting longer.

To add to this, three weeks ago Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador revealed that there are more than five individuals with “Tan Sri” and “Datuk” titles who are allegedly masterminds of drug cartels in the country.

But some of these culprits may not be genuine recipients of the awards as there are many pounding the streets with bogus titles and from non-existent sultans.

“If the awards are not from the Yang di Pertuan Agong, sultans or governors, they are ‘backyard’ titles, including the ones bought online, all of which are illegal,” said an exco member of the Council of Federal Datuk of Malaysia, Samson David Maman.

Efforts are being made to set up a new national body to register genuine holders of honorific titles after it emerged that some fake titles were being sold on social media platforms and via online stores.

Last year, Malaysiakini reported there is a widespread sale of items bearing the national coat of arms on online shopping platforms. An online platform offered badges ([picture at the top) bearing the Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang (D.I.M.P) title for RM988.

There was also an instalment plan for six payments of RM164.67. The Sri Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (S.S.A.P) badge went for just RM688 and it came with an instalment plan too (both the awards carry the “Datuk” title.)

Mockery of system

The prerogative of the Malay rulers and state governors to bestow honours should never be questioned. But His Majesty, their Highnesses and their excellencies must be assured that the proper procedures, including security vetting, have been carried out before the list is presented to them for approval.

The proliferation of titles previously prompted the Johor ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Sultan Iskandar, to remark: “If you throw a stone, it will hit a Datuk; now (if you throw a stone) it will rebound and hit another Datuk".

Having said that, it is pertinent to ask: Is someone carrying out a careful and critical examination of the applications, nominations or recommendations? If so, how are some, with tainted records, getting past? How do undischarged bankrupts get past the system?

Usually, such responsibilities are with the various state secretaries, who supposedly check everything - but are the due diligence checks being carried out?

The practice of political parties being allowed to recommend their members makes a mockery of the system. Party diehards and members whose only claim to fame may have been political donations or who were bodyguards are on the honours list.

Recently, there was an uproar when the Federal Territory Day honours list included a politician who had been charged with assault. Around the same time, two with Datuk titles traded punches over a helicopter parked in the other's porch in an upmarket residential area in Kuala Lumpur.

A cursory search on the Internet revealed that people with titles in Malaysia have been involved in domestic violence, assault and the underworld. Some of them are even serving time in prison.

More importantly, those with such titles should never dishonour them. They must meet the exacting standards and carry and conduct themselves in a prim and proper manner befitting the bestowment of these titles.

Would it be asking too much of the state secretaries to add a line or two when releasing the list of recipients to the media? Like the practice in England, the media can then highlight the deeds of these ordinary citizens who have made a difference to all of us. - Mkini

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R NADESWARAN has come across 'Datuk' titleholders – genuine and bogus – but the way the latter carry themselves is a dead giveaway. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.