05 December 2014

No Datuk Seri kind, Anwar still is and not DAI yetlah...

Hilang satu gelaran Datuk Seri, Anwar masih DSAI...

Walaupun sesetengah mungkin bimbang bahawa moniker Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim daripada DSAI mungkin dalam bahaya berikutan pelucutan dia Anugerah Seri Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah daripada Sultan Selangor, mereka perlu meletakkan kebimbangan mereka ditahan.

Seperti yang telah dilaporkan media secara meluas, anugerah Anwar yang diberikan kepadanya oleh Sultan Selangor telah ditarik balik.

Seorang pemerhati tertanya-tanya, tanpa gelaran Datuk Seri, Anwar hanya akan menjadi DAI atau Datuk Anwar Ibrahim. Disebut sebagai ejaan, DAI bunyi seperti "mati" dan akan memberikan petanda yang buruk mengenai masa depannya, sudah pasti para pemerhati akan gelang sambil berguling.

Rakan-rakan nakal walaupun menulis sebarang tweet anggapan bahawa di sebalik konvensyen diterima, Anwar masih bolehdipanggil  DSAI menurut Datuk Seri mengikuti isterinya, yang akan menjadikan Datin Seri dan blieua masih kekal DSAI.



Saya tidak pasti di mana pengguna twitter mendapat maklumat kerana dia perlu tahu bahawa di Malaysia, hanya wanita mengambil gelaran Datin Seri dari tajuk suami mereka dan tidak sebaliknya. Mungkin itu adalah perkara biasa ulasan pengguna twitter pada hari ini.

Lagipun seperti yang diketahui umum, dia masih DSAI kerana menerima anugerah itu dari negeri-negeri yang lain yang masih memberi kuasa kepada orang yang beliau gelaran Datuk Seri, walaupun  Selangor menarik balik kurniaan tersebut.

Kadang-kadang kita tertanya-tanya jika ini adalah mengapa Perancis tidak mendedahkan diri mereka dengan gelaran yang telah dikurniakan oleh raja.

Tetapi jangan salah, walaupun pindaan perlembagaan negeri yang menyentuh kekebalan undang-undang diraja dan kuasa perundangan di bawah pemerintahan Mahathir, perlembagaan Selangor masih selaras dengan sultan kuasa.

Ini sudah tentu, selepas berunding dengan kerajaan majlis penasihat diraja yang menasihati beliau mengenai perkara tersebut dan badan perundangan negeri jika ia melibatkan perbelanjaan daripada tabung negeri, walaupun majlis anugerah mmenggunakan kos pembayar cukai negeri, bermakna bukan membolehkan ia menerima kurniaan itu.



Sebagai Perkara 38 Perlembagaan Negeri Selangor berbunyi, sultan adalah fon yang semua kepujian dan kebesaran mengalir daripada dan dia sahaja memegang hak untuk memberikan apa-apa dan semua institut lencana kehormatan dan maruah.

Walaupun Perkara 39 memberi kuasa yang jelas untuk mengambil kembali semua kepujian dan kebesaran itu diberikan di bawah Perkara 38 tanpa Buruk Siku.

Walaupun beberapa juga mungkin tertanya-tanya jika telinga tertentu telah berbisik ke dalam kira-kira yang akan datang mengenai keputusan itu masuk rayuan itu muktamad terhadap terbalik pembebasan Anwar tuduhan liwat yang kedua.

Sudah tentu seperti yang terdapat dalam kes Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik dan krisis PKFZ secara keseluruhan, anugerah disampaikan diraja dengan kurniaan gelaran tidak akan melindungi anda daripada penguatkuasaan undang-undang, meskinpun mempunyai bukti kukuh terhadap bekas PM itu.

Sudah tentu, ada yang boleh mengatakan bahawa gelaran Datuk Anwar telah dilucutkan kini atas sebab tertentu dan istana Selangor mempunyai sebab untuk melakukannya atas sebab-sebab sabitan liwat.

Laporan TMI dipetik berkata, ini termasuk bekas timbalan presiden MCA Tan Sri Lee Kim Sai yang telah dilucutkan gelaran Datuk kerana didakwa mempersoalkan hak orang Melayu, ahli perniagaan Indonesia Kenneth Chow untuk beberapa syarikat sepatutnya penyelewengan penyerahan dan rakyat Malaysia Tan Hock Low dan Robert Chan Wai Ing kerana didakwa "salah laku ".

Sudah tentu mungkin soalan beberapa mungkin bertanya ialah bagaimana individu yang mempunyai kecenderungan untuk penipuan itu boleh menyelinap ke dalam senarai anugerah negeri di tempat pertama.

Tetapi kita tidak boleh menghalang pandangan jauh masa depan ke dalam penyampaian anugerah. Saya yakin negeri ini tidak pernah dijangka Anwar untuk menjadi ketua pembangkang persekutuan, apatah lagi didakwa bercakap tentang integriti sultan ketika mereka memberikan anugerah dan gelaran.



Tetapi kesan itu adalah atu langkah  pada pemimpin pembangkang yang berkenaan adalah amat kecil kerana Anwar sendiri menulis dalam kenyataannya kepada akhbar berikutan kenyataan media dari istana melucutkan anugerah darjah Selangor beliau.

Beliau menyatakan bahawa beliau menghargai anugerah darjah kebesaran diberikan kepadanya pada tahun 1992 oleh almarhum ayahanda kepada Sultan Selangor, dan beliau menghormati keputusan untuk melucutkan anugerah itu.

Anwar berikrar bahawa peristiwa itu tidak akan memberi kesan kepada tugas atau kesetiaannya kepada rakyat, perlembagaan persekutuan, raja berperlembagaan dan demokrasi berparlimen.

Beliau juga bermurah hati mengambil keputusan untuk kekal sebagai penasihat ekonomi kepada negeri yang diperintah Pakatan dan mengambil nasib ekonomi di bawah sultan walaupun dilucutkan anugerah tersebut.

Tetapi apa yang boleh menjadi jelas walaupun adalah bahawa seperti yang dapat dilihat di bahagian komen di laporan berita banyak seperti yang dilindungi gelaran Datuk nyah-urusan keseluruhan, menjatuhkan maruah tajuk Anwar akan berbuat apa-apa untuk sokongan terhadap beliau, kredibiliti atau rasa penyokong 'lucu.- Hazlan Zakaria,theantdaily.com

From left: Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and Anwar
One ‘Datuk Seri’ less. So what, Anwar is still DSAI... 

While some may worry that Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's moniker of DSAI may be in jeopardy following the stripping of his Anugerah Seri Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah from the Selangor Sultan, they should put their fears on hold.

As has been widely reported, Anwar's award conferred to him by the state of Selangor has been revoked by the current sultan.

One observer wondered, without the Datuk Seri title, Anwar would just be DAI or Datuk Anwar Ibrahim. Pronounced as spelt, DAI sounds like “die” and would bode ill for his future, the observer added with tinkling giggles.

One cheeky fellow even tweeted the presumption that beyond accepted convention, Anwar can still be DSAI by virtue of his wife's Datuk Seri title, which would make him a Datin Seri and DSAI still.



I am not sure where the twitterer is schooled as he should know that in Malaysia, only women take on the Datin Seri honorific from their husband's title and not vice-versa. Maybe that is common where the twitterer is from lah.

But DSAI, of the Datuk Seri kind, Anwar still is and not DAI yet, despite the Damocles Sword of his sodomy II acquittal's overturning hanging in the final balance of the Federal Court's scales of justice, or as critics allege, the lack of it.

After all as has been noted, he is still DSAI by virtue of other awards from other states that still confer upon his person the Datuk Seri honorific, the Selangor degrade notwithstanding.

Sometimes one wonders if this is why the French do not subject themselves to awarded royal titles.

But make no mistake, despite the amendments to state constitutions that touch on royal legal immunity and legislative powers under Mahathir's reign, the Selangor constitution still accords the sultan the power to both confer and degrade state awards.

This, of course, after consultation with the state royal advisory council which advises him on such matters and the state legislature if it involves spending from state coffers, though considering award ceremonies probably cost state taxpayers, could mean in all awards.

As Article 38 of the Selangor State Constitution reads, the sultan is the font from which all honours and dignities flow out of and he alone holds the right to confer such and institute all badges of honour and dignity.

While Article 39 give him the express power to take back all such honours and dignities conferred under Article 38 without buruk siku.

Though some may also wonder if certain ears have been whispered into about things to come concerning the incoming verdict of the final appeal against the overturning of Anwar's second sodomy allegation's acquittal.

Of course, as was found in the case of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik and the whole PKFZ saga, a royal award and accompanying honorific won't protect you from the full force of the law, though a former PM's wry testimony might.


Of course, there are those who may say that Anwar's datukship was stripped now for this reason and it saves the Selangor palace of having to do it for sodomy conviction reasons.

It makes for less a colourful letter perhaps. But that would be identifiable pure hogwash and speculation for now of course.

And as pointed out by The Malaysian Insider, Selangor has always been diligent in scrubbing clean its stable of datuks when some of them prove to track in manure instead of more suitable regal datuk footprints.

As TMI noted, these include former MCA deputy president Tan Sri Lee Kim Sai whose datukship was stripped for allegedly questioning Malay rights, Indonesian businessman Kenneth Chow for some supposed company submission irregularities and Malaysians Tan Hock Low and Robert Chan Wai Ing for alleged "improper conduct".

Of course, perhaps the question some may be asking is how individuals with tendencies for such shenanigans could have sneaked into the state awards list in the first place.

But we cannot preclude foresight of the future into award presentation. I am sure the state never expected Anwar to be federal opposition leader, let alone allegedly speak about the sultan's integrity when they gave him the award and title.

Nor could they have known what the others who have been awarded the datukship and have them revoked would do after their initial award ceremony.

Photo: Ini kerana Anwar mempunyai tujuh lagi darjah kebesaran itu yang dianugerahkan padanya, menurut laman web Bahagian Istiadat dan Urusetia Persidangan Antarabangsa, Jabatan Perdana Menteri.

Ini termasuk anugerah daripada daripada Perlis (1995), Perak (1995), Pahang (1990), Pulau Pinang (1994), Sabah (1994), dan lain-lain.

Beliau juga mendapat darjah kedua daripada Pulau Pinang dengan gelaran “Datuk” pada 1991.

Kesemua anugerah itu diperoleh antara 1990 dan 1995, ketika beliau bertugas dalam kerajaan.

Anwar dilantik timbalan perdana menteri pada 1993 sebelum dipecat beberapa tahun kemudiannya.

Istana Selangor hari ini mengumumkan bahawa gelaran “Datuk Seri” yang diberi pada Anwar pada 1992 dibatalkan berkuat 3 November.

Pembatalan darjah kebesaran itu dibuat atas alasan Anwar mempersoal kewibawaan dan kuasa sultan dan institusi raja ketika krisis menteri besar Selangor sebelum ini.

Ketegangan dengan istana itu muncul apabila PKR sebelum ini bertegas untuk menamakan seorang calon pengganti Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim walaupun istana mahukan lebih nam

But the impact of such a move on the opposition leader may be negligible, as Anwar himself wrote in his statement to the press following the media statement from the palace of the degrade of his Selangor award.

He stated that he was appreciative of the titled award given to him in 1992 by the father of the current Selangor Sultan unasked for, and he respects the decision to rescind it by the current sultan.

Anwar vowed that the degrade event will not impact neither his duties nor loyalty to the rakyat, the federal constitution, our constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.

He also magnanimously decided to stay as economic advisor to the Pakatan-ruled state and take the economic fate of the sultan's demesne under his wing despite being stripped of his titled award.

But what may be clear though is that as can be seen in the comments section of many such news reports that covered the whole datukship-stripping affair, degrading Anwar's title would do nothing to his support base, credibility or supporters’ sense of humour.- Hazlan Zakaria,theantdaily.com


What's wrong with Bernama TV? Why the delay in salary disbursal?

(Mkini) Some 20 Bernama TV (BTV) staff have opted to take emergency leave as they can no longer afford to go to work

Many have not turned up at the office since Monday as the last time they were paid was on Oct 20.

"I only have money to support my wife and child, and for necessities. I have no (cash) to travel to work," one staff told Malaysiakini on the condition of anonymity

Those affected include journalists, assistant producers, and studio crew.

Sources said that no exact date has been given as to when the salaries would be paid.

"First they promised us this week, then we hear that it is next week," lamented one of them.

Contacted later, Bernama editor-in-chief Zulkefli Salleh conceded there was a delay, but said that salaries would be paid soon.- mk



cheers.

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