Awarding state and federal accolades to our rakyat

The practice of bestowing honours and rewards to rakyat by the royalties can be traced to the Melaka Sultanate. This noble practice has been continued to the present day when the state governments and federal government confer titles and awards to the rakyat who have contributed significantly to the nation, be it in the field of education, medicine, science, social service, sports and so on. The dignified practice is still observed by many countries, like the United Kingdom.

Unfortunately, in the recent times, the precious and noble awards have been misused by some quarters in the country. We read and hear about how even criminals and frauds have received the most coveted awards from the state and federal government.

We also have foreigners like cinema stars getting bestowals from the state governments. What is their contribution to our nation by these celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan from Mumbai, India or Radha Ravi from Chennai, Tamil Nadu? We also hear about money laundering in obtaining the awards from the government.

In such ways, genuine persons are deprived from receiving the awards. Instead, rather worthless and unscrupulous people only receiving the awards.

The practice of giving awards to politicians need to the looked anew again. In fact, the bulk of recipients seems to the politicians. Their contribution to our beloved nation is unquestionable at times. Practically, every political leader has some titles. In fact, some join politics to get perks including awards from government.

Whenever the list of names of receipts are published in the media, the politicians top the list and the ordinary rakyat’s list is just a handful. The politicians should serve the rakyat and identify their contributions and propose their deserving names to the government to get awards.

Of course, some state governments have been stringent in giving awards to their rakyat. This is most welcomed. Let the deserving ones get the awards, not any disreputable, undeserving and unworthy persons.

It is shameful to read that a Datuk being charged in court for criminal acts or a Tan Sri for illegal activities in the country. Awards like Datuk or Tan Sri carries a lot of respect and admiration. Let it not be tarnished by these unscrupulous persons. 

At this juncture, I earnestly appeal to the present government to look into all such malpractices in awarding titles and awards to the rakyat. Please ensure only genuine and the most deserving people get the rewards.

We also notice there are many deserving rakyat not getting or proposed to receive these precious awards. These people have given their best to the nation in their respective fields and domains. Alas, their contributions have gone unnoticed by the government and leaders. Many of these people have even passed away without getting any credits or awards from the government. Class, creed, colour should not be the criteria for selecting potential recipients, but rather credibility and excellence.

I believe the present Malaysia Baharu government and leaders will recognize those who have contributed immensely to the nation and thereby ensure their services and contributions are appreciated. These are the people that are to receive the most honoured titles and awards of the nation.