PETALING JAYA: The Johor palace has asked Chua Jui Ming to return all three medals conferred on him by the late Sultan of Johor despite initially revoking only two.
Chua was last week stripped of his “datuk” and “datuk seri” titles and ordered to return both medals to the palace. No reason was given for this revocation, although speculation was rife that Umno Johor had a hand in the palace's decision. Umno Johor has denied these allegations.
At a press conference today, Chua said that he had notified the secretary to the Royal Court of Johor, Abdul Rahim Ramli, that he had a third medal from Johor – the Pingat Ismail Sultan (PIS).
“I asked him whether the palace wanted that as well and he immediately said yes,” Chua said. “So I will make arrangements to send the medals back to the palace as soon as possible. And I am returning them open-heartedly.”
When asked when he would be returning them, he said that there was no urgency to do so.
“I have already advised Rahim that all he needs to do is degazette the two titles and the medals will become mere metal as there will be no honours attached to it. But I will return them, not to worry.”
However, PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah, who was also present, questioned Rahim's authority in demanding that the third medal be returned.
“I am surprised that he was able to make such a decision on the spot without first referring to the palace,” he said. “So who is really wielding the power here? Who is behind the palace's decision?”
The former health minister, who joined PKR last July, will retain his “datukship” as he had been conferred state awards by Pahang and Selangor, which carry the same title.
'I will not back down'
Chua acknowledged that he knew from the moment he joined Pakatan that he would be taking the road less travelled and paid tribute to his colleagues who have been enduring hardships for the past 11 years in their efforts to bring change to Malaysia.
“I have been preparing myself for the struggles ahead but I didn't expect to be penalised for my decision so soon,” he said. “But the loss of these medals is nothing compared to the sacrifices made by other reformists like Tian Chua, Sivarasa and PKR de facto leader Anwar (Ibrahim).”
Chua also marvelled at the outpouring of public support he received following the stripping of his titles and said it was “beyond his wildest imagination”.
He noted that the magnitude of support clearly indicated that the people have had enough of “petty and vindictive politics” and a government that is “bankrupt of real ideas” to take Malaysia forward.
“Umno has badly miscalculated this attempt to intimidate me,” he said. “They probably expected me to slow down my campaign for reform but this has only strengthened my resolve in this fight. I am standing on the right side of history and I will not retreat.”
Chua then drew on the analogy of football to further illustrate his belief that the people are clearly ready for change.
“In football, the people know when a player is playing the man instead of the ball. In 2008, the rakyat showed BN the yellow card. I am confident that in 2012, they will show Umno the red card.”
Free Malaysia Today
20/06/10
Chua was last week stripped of his “datuk” and “datuk seri” titles and ordered to return both medals to the palace. No reason was given for this revocation, although speculation was rife that Umno Johor had a hand in the palace's decision. Umno Johor has denied these allegations.
At a press conference today, Chua said that he had notified the secretary to the Royal Court of Johor, Abdul Rahim Ramli, that he had a third medal from Johor – the Pingat Ismail Sultan (PIS).
“I asked him whether the palace wanted that as well and he immediately said yes,” Chua said. “So I will make arrangements to send the medals back to the palace as soon as possible. And I am returning them open-heartedly.”
When asked when he would be returning them, he said that there was no urgency to do so.
“I have already advised Rahim that all he needs to do is degazette the two titles and the medals will become mere metal as there will be no honours attached to it. But I will return them, not to worry.”
However, PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah, who was also present, questioned Rahim's authority in demanding that the third medal be returned.
“I am surprised that he was able to make such a decision on the spot without first referring to the palace,” he said. “So who is really wielding the power here? Who is behind the palace's decision?”
The former health minister, who joined PKR last July, will retain his “datukship” as he had been conferred state awards by Pahang and Selangor, which carry the same title.
'I will not back down'
Chua acknowledged that he knew from the moment he joined Pakatan that he would be taking the road less travelled and paid tribute to his colleagues who have been enduring hardships for the past 11 years in their efforts to bring change to Malaysia.
“I have been preparing myself for the struggles ahead but I didn't expect to be penalised for my decision so soon,” he said. “But the loss of these medals is nothing compared to the sacrifices made by other reformists like Tian Chua, Sivarasa and PKR de facto leader Anwar (Ibrahim).”
Chua also marvelled at the outpouring of public support he received following the stripping of his titles and said it was “beyond his wildest imagination”.
He noted that the magnitude of support clearly indicated that the people have had enough of “petty and vindictive politics” and a government that is “bankrupt of real ideas” to take Malaysia forward.
“Umno has badly miscalculated this attempt to intimidate me,” he said. “They probably expected me to slow down my campaign for reform but this has only strengthened my resolve in this fight. I am standing on the right side of history and I will not retreat.”
Chua then drew on the analogy of football to further illustrate his belief that the people are clearly ready for change.
“In football, the people know when a player is playing the man instead of the ball. In 2008, the rakyat showed BN the yellow card. I am confident that in 2012, they will show Umno the red card.”
Free Malaysia Today
20/06/10
mi1: idiots controlling sultan and sultan can be controlled by the very basic issue $$$$$$$$$$. So what' s the package the Johor sultan has earned from UMNO.
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