DATUKSHIP A.K.A LORDSHIP

I came back to KL from the Hari Raya trip up north a week ago after a week away. I was recharged a bit after a hectic two weeks of moving house and raya celebration. The traffic was not so bad on the highway as most folks had come back to KL a lot earlier.

I find KL is still the same since i left. Malaysia is still the same with a lot of thorny issues cropped up here and there. Latest hot topic is the award of the Datukship (Lordship) title fom the Chief Minister of Malacca to an Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan from India.

Do not get me wrong, i have no personal issue with Mr Khan as i have watched a few of his movies which includes Kuch Kuch Ho Ta Hei and Akbar The Great. I personally think he is one of the best Indian actors in India along with Amitah Bachan and the Kapoors. The issue which is making it hot is why him?

The Datukship or Lordship title is bestowed by the Sultans, Chief Ministers and Federal Territories MP onto outstanding individuals for their achievements and contributions that benefit this country. Occassionally, non-citizens will be awarded also like Datuk Jean Todd from the Ferrari team. In this case, it could be for the intangible contribution like buying an island in the state of Terengganu for his second home which inturn tie the Ferrari name with Malaysia, therefore indirectly promoting Malaysia's name overseas. The act of awarding the Lordship by the United Kingdom government to outstanding individuals is quite similar although not so rampant.

So, it is the power that be's prerogative to give the award after considering certain criteria whether the individual deserve the award or not. The controversy is not on its right to give the award but the person the award is given to. What has Mr Shah Rukh Khan has done to deserve the award? The papers said because he chose one site in the state of Malacca to shoot his latest film therefore indirectly promoting the state's name. Hmmm...we better wait to watch the movie whether the state's name was even mentioned, otherwise it will be a joke on the Chief Minister. But by the same criteria, there are a lot of local actors and movie makers who used Malacca as their movie backdrops, why are they not given the same title? Why are we very quick to award foreigners the prestigious title and failed to treat the locals with the same respect? And to add salt to the injury, Mr Khan never showed up to receive the award which speaks volume of what he thinks of the award. This is not the Oscar award in Hollywood where you could ask your manager to receive on your behalf, this a Datukship award! How would the Queen of England feel if i did not show up for OBE award personally on that day?

I think, the power that be has to be more strict on the selection criteria to award the Datukship title to anybody to safeguard its prestige. The locals who have contributed so much for the nation should be given priority. Those fallen heroes of WWII and during the Communist Insurgency and Confrontation with Indonesia should be awarded and given lifetime allowance to their families for their contributions. There are still unsung heroes among our brave soldiers who are still alive deserve the title more than Mr Khan does. The veterans of the local film industries deserve the title more than somebody who lives in another continent 3000km away. Hell!...i myself also deserve the title for paying thousands of ringgit every year to the taxman for the last 20 years so Malaysia can have development budget to work with and prosper! So how come i am not getting one?

In the 1980s to 2000, i think there was an explosion of Datukship awards to almost any Tom, Dick and Harry in Malaysia which reached a stage like this joke implies " if you throw a stone along the Chowkit Road crowd, most likely it will fall on somebody with a title Datuk!". There were even some cases where some Datuks were found to have criminal background, and the title had to be retracted by the Sultan. There were also cases reported in the papers that a Datukship title can be bought with the right connection which tarnishes its image.

I hope the power that be, be more carefull and give more thoughts before simply awarding any member of the society or foreigners the Datukship title so it will not become an issue. Malaysia i think has the highest ratio of individuals with Datukship title per million of her citizens! Malaysia boleh spirit? or a good entry into Books of Records?