Related Issues
It was recently brought to attention that not all Datuks have lived exemplary lives and some have even been convicted of crimes. The various sultans have taken steps to ensure the integrity of the institution by means of consultation as well as the revoking of the given titles.
Tun Dr Mahathir mentioned that one of the problems with titles in Malaysia is the numbers given out. He stated in an interview "Personally, I feel if you want to give value to anything, it must be limited...if you produce a million Ferrari cars, nobody will care about buying a Ferrari."
The Raja Muda (Crown Prince) of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah stated "That is my view. You degrade the award and the Ruler has the right to revoke it. In my opinion, it should be taken away." He also stated that "Sometimes, I think we give away too many datukships...it dilutes and devalues the award."
In the first government following the independence of Malaya in 1957, five of 15 cabinet Ministers were Datuks. The finance minister at the time, Tan Siew Sin, held the title Justice of Peace. Later he was granted a Federal award which carried the title Tun. The father of Malayan independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, received no awards and carried the title "Tunku", which he inherited as the prince of the state of Kedah. He was honorarily referred to as "Yang Teramat Mulia". The senate held only 14 datuks and parliament held only seven.
The conferral of "Datuk" by the Penang government to 25-year-old squash world champion Nicol David and Olympic silver medalist Lee Chong Wei sparked controversy that they are too young to receive the title. The Melaka government also was criticized for awarding the Datuk title to a non-Malaysian Indian actor, Shahrukh Khan, for making movies in the state.
Read more about this topic: Malay Styles And Titles
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