KUALA LUMPUR: More needs to be done to stop use of fake honorary titles, said Council of Datuk Dato’ Malaysia (MDDM).
Its president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz said the council has submitted a proposal to amend Act 787 to the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) and the Attorney-General's Chambers this year.
Awalan outlined three aspects of the proposed amendments to Act 787, also known as Offences Relating to Awards Act 2017, that governs the use of honorary titles.
The first is to ensure that the coverage of Act 787 will be effective across the country, while the second proposal calls for an increase in fines and penalties to deter offenders, as the current fines are too low.
The third is to include a new section to provide clearer authority to the police to conduct investigations and take more effective action.
The MDDM committee visited the Legal Affairs Division at the Prime Minister’s Department a few months ago to highlight the matter and push for change.
MDDM secretary-general Datuk Samson David Maman said that the misuse of the datukship is rampant.
“I receive about 20 to 30 complaints, or almost one every day” he said regarding the misuse of titles, adding that there were also three cases with persons impersonating Tan Sris.
Meanwhile, Bernama Chairman and Star Media Group advisor Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, who is also a former vice president of MDDM, urged the public to file formal police reports to facilitate investigations into the misuse of honorary titles.
"We hope that the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) will prioritise and expedite such cases as a lesson to the culprits. These awards are conferred by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultans, and rulers. We must protect these titles and ensure that no one abuses or scams the system," he said.
Currently, those buying or selling titles – real or otherwise – could face up to 20 years behind bars under Act 787.
Those found misusing emblems, names and pictures, could be imprisoned up to three years or fined up to RM20,000, or both, under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) (Amendment) Act 2016.
Both laws came into effect in 2017 to curb misuse of awards by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Rulers, and Yang di-Pertua Negeri in order to protect the prestige of the royal awards.
