Federal Honours And Lim Kit Siang.
Malaysiakini has a very interesting headline today: Tun title for Kit Siang? The article says that it is time that Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang is recognised for his efforts and commitment to uphold the cause of democracy, justice, fair play and human rights.
I agree, and so would every fair-minded and right-thinking person. But would the government? Where federal awards and honours are concerned the government has to balance so many requirements and demands. A DAP blogger yesterday asked why civils servants are given higher awards than ministers. Good query, but the same happens in the UK too. There is no end to the questions if you want to belabour it. Why are so many tycoons given Tan Sri titles is one. It's easy for us on the outside to accuse but it must surely be a difficult task to satisfy all sections reasonably.
Sometimes the government puts on its silly hat when making decisions on awards. A glaring example which still amuses me is the Datuk title awarded to Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew when he was PM. At a time when Pudu Jail inmates had Datuk titles and failed coup leaders in Thailand were given Tunships by our government, they were so petty to approve for Kuan Yew a Datuk award! (and that too from a state I think). Not even a Tan Sri mind you. That was how our pea-brained Wisma Putra overlords' thinking worked.
After Kit Siang defeated Dr. Lim Chong Eu in an election and thus ending his political career in 1990 the federal government awarded Dr. Lim a Tunship for his services, an honour he rightly earned. Even then the government did an unnecessary balancing act by awarding the Tun title also to Daim Zainuddin who by no stretch of the imagination deserved it then or now. Somehow it was felt that it was politically not correct to just award a Chinese the highest honours in the land without a Malay whether deserving or undeserving getting one.
If that sort of blinkered thinking still persists in government circles and I see no evidence that it doesn't, Lim Kit Siang won't even get a Datuk title, let alone a Tun award. Also Kit Siang was, is and will be an irritant for the government; ranting and raving in Parliament, at public meetings and in his blog. Why pray tell, should they reward such a royal pain in the neck?
I agree, and so would every fair-minded and right-thinking person. But would the government? Where federal awards and honours are concerned the government has to balance so many requirements and demands. A DAP blogger yesterday asked why civils servants are given higher awards than ministers. Good query, but the same happens in the UK too. There is no end to the questions if you want to belabour it. Why are so many tycoons given Tan Sri titles is one. It's easy for us on the outside to accuse but it must surely be a difficult task to satisfy all sections reasonably.
Sometimes the government puts on its silly hat when making decisions on awards. A glaring example which still amuses me is the Datuk title awarded to Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew when he was PM. At a time when Pudu Jail inmates had Datuk titles and failed coup leaders in Thailand were given Tunships by our government, they were so petty to approve for Kuan Yew a Datuk award! (and that too from a state I think). Not even a Tan Sri mind you. That was how our pea-brained Wisma Putra overlords' thinking worked.
After Kit Siang defeated Dr. Lim Chong Eu in an election and thus ending his political career in 1990 the federal government awarded Dr. Lim a Tunship for his services, an honour he rightly earned. Even then the government did an unnecessary balancing act by awarding the Tun title also to Daim Zainuddin who by no stretch of the imagination deserved it then or now. Somehow it was felt that it was politically not correct to just award a Chinese the highest honours in the land without a Malay whether deserving or undeserving getting one.
If that sort of blinkered thinking still persists in government circles and I see no evidence that it doesn't, Lim Kit Siang won't even get a Datuk title, let alone a Tun award. Also Kit Siang was, is and will be an irritant for the government; ranting and raving in Parliament, at public meetings and in his blog. Why pray tell, should they reward such a royal pain in the neck?
posted by The Malaysian. at 6/06/2006 11:09:00 AM
1 Comments:
I suppose that Kit Siang has to do a 'Lee Lam Thye' to get his Tunship, lol!
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