Honorific hoax: Be warned, fake title holders – thanks to social media and public scrutiny, you’re being watched. — 123rf
THERE must be an assumption that it’s easy to get a Datukship in Malaysia. After all, there are so many decorated people running around. Throw a stone, and you might even hit one.
So, why not fake credentials and “be” a Datuk, since it automatically earns respect?
However, no one cares or asks why they are Datuk, Dato, Datuk Seri, Datuk Wira or Datuk Sri. To avoid confusion, the press has categorised them all as Datuk.
But like scammers, there are many people posing as Datuk, and they have become so brazen that they even put their fake honorifics on their business cards.
To add insult to injury, some imposters also claim they have a doctorate or worse, are medical doctors.
There’s a Datuk Sri Dr who claims to be an expert in some scientific field, but there’s no published medical work anywhere online. Surely a cause for suspicion.
And it’s becoming common practice for a genuine Datuk to falsely “upgrade” himself to a Datuk Sri, a title from Pahang, or a Datuk Seri, from other states.
There’s the case of a con woman facing criminal charges for attempting to pass off as Tan Sri. Certainly, that’s not very clever of her since there aren’t too many Tan Sris.
Not only have these cheats made false claims in their call cards and Facebook, but they’ve also spun this tale with the Registrar of Companies and Bursa Malaysia.
The Council of Datuk and Dato (MDDM) secretary-general Datuk Samson David Maman said the council has noticed a trend among many Dato upgrading their titles to Dato Sri, when they received no such award.
“We have been receiving almost daily complaints of people with influence using such fake Tan Sri, Datuk and Dato awards.
“We have also seen an increase in the use of fake and unrecognised Dato titles by businessmen in their SSM business records to upgrade their status for whatever scams or investments they want to promote, and this attracts innocent investors to their schemes, ultimately many become victims to scams,” he said.
MDDM president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz had previously said based on the council’s records, almost 200 individuals have been linked with fake title scams.
He said that misusing awards and titles was a serious issue because the council has received many reports from the public about crossing paths with these scammers.
The MDDM has proposed upgrading the Awards Act 2017 on the use of illegal and unrecognised titles to address many loopholes in its enforcement to enable the police to be more effective in arresting this problem at national and state levels, as it is an affront to our country’s honorifics and royal institutions.
It has suggested amendments to several clauses in the Awards Act 2017 to the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) to strengthen the Act’s enforcement, so that the misuse of awards and titles can be stamped out.
The suggestions include fixing police powers to arrest and officially investigate individuals committing such abuses before they are charged because currently, the Act is vague about whether police can make arrests if an offence is committed under the Act.
“Also, whether the Act is applicable at the state level as not all states have enactments relating to it, so we suggest that certain clauses be amended to allow enforcement at state levels for awards conferred by those states,” he said.
There have also been reports of Malaysians, who knowingly or otherwise, have accepted – or paid for – foreign awards which offer the title of Datuk.
Those who bestowed these titles often claim to be rulers from southern Philippines.
For the record, only the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, our respective Malaysian State Rulers and State Governors are authorised and recognised to bestow such awards on the public.
It’s an offence for a citizen to accept a foreign Dato or Tan Sri award without the written consent of our King. This is law as drafted in Act 787 2017.
There have been recent cases of Malaysians being arrested and charged in court for using fake titles, which have gained wide media attention.
In June, 41-year-old businessman, Mohammad Shaiful Nizam Abu, was fined RM200,000 by the Sessions Court in Johor Baru for using a fake Datuk title from Pahang. He pleaded guilty to two counts of the offence, committed at a wellness centre of a resort in Senai, Kulai.
In January, businessman Hazimi Abd Hamid, 54, was charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court for using a fake Datuk Seri title and honorific items from Pahang for business purposes two years ago. He pleaded not guilty.
He was found to have possessed Darjah Kebesaran items such as an appointment letter, the Dato Sri title necklace, the Dato Sri identification card and other paraphernalia, which were all confirmed to be fake.
In July, businessman Wan Yon Ann, 40, pleaded not guilty in the KL Sessions Court to a charge of using a fake “Datuk Seri” title – not conferred on him by the Melaka Governor for business, trade and profession – at a fast-food restaurant in Jalan Ipoh.
Last year, a jobless man, 50-year-old Imran Tolot, was jailed two years after pleading guilty to using a fake “Datuk Seri” title in 2018 – which he claimed was awarded by the Sultan of Pahang for business purposes – at a hotel in Johor.
Without doubt, there’s an urgent need to have the Act amended to preserve the reputation of genuine title recipients and the institutions conferring them.
It doesn’t help that there are regular news reports of Datuks being arrested or charged for numerous high-profile crimes.
Datuks are supposed to be responsible and credible leaders and surely not criminals. There are, in fact, convicted criminals who are still Datuks because their titles have not been revoked.
While these awards are bestowed by the various state rulers, if I may humbly suggest, the matter could perhaps be discussed by the Conference of Rulers, where their wisdom would be helpful in protecting the institution.
The public can easily authenticate recipients by visiting www.istiadat.gov.my, and scrolling down to “semakan Darjah Kebesaran,”. Key in their name and identity card number to verify their claims.
The suspected fraudster’s identity card isn’t required, so verifications can be easier, but the computer system is slow. Patience is required, but it is worthwhile to weed out the phoneys.
But a counter check with the website of the respective state would be helpful for accuracy. The database possesses information from all states, except for Sabah and Sarawak.
In one state, the information needs updating because its backlog dates back to 2016, an MDDM official said.
Journalists could be more thorough and not take things at face value when people claim they are titled personalities during interviews.
But the time-pressed media can’t check on every Datuk that appears on TV or is being quoted. Some news portals are dropping these honorifics from the names in their reporting.
More importantly, thanks to social media and public scrutiny, those who use fake titles, including even faked or expired professorships and doctorates, are hereby warned that you’re being watched.
