THERE must be consistency. When the Sultan of Selangor ordered state awards bestowed on former prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, to be revoked, Malaysians found out that they still had to address Najib by his title.

He may have lost his “Datuk” and “Datuk Seri” titles from Selangor, but he still has similar titles from many other states.

The same is true with Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. Her title, too, was revoked by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, but like Najib, she received awards elsewhere as well. In any case, if Najib keeps his title, Rosmah is also entitled to still use “Datin Seri” as his spouse.

Penang has also revoked Najib’s state award, which carries the title “Datuk Seri Utama”.

And before His Royal Highness issued the order last week, and before the Federal Court’s recent decision, Negri Sembilan had already revoked the Datuk Seri Utama title from Najib as far back as 2018. Najib was conferred the title of Datuk Seri Utama Negeri Sembilan or SPNS in 2005.

The palace also nullified the Darjah Seri Paduka Tuanku Ja’afar Yang Amat Terpuji (SPTJ) title it awarded Rosmah in 2006.

It remains to be seen if the other Rulers will follow Negri Sembilan and Selangor’s lead, but it’s not looking likely.

The Conference of Rulers or the respective Rulers need to standardise the practice concerning convicted recipients, to protect the sanctity and value of the awards they have conferred.

No one should be seen to receive preferential treatment or consideration because of his or her status, while those who have had their titles revoked may have committed lesser crimes.

It’s never easy to take away titles. There is great reluctance because no one wants to embarrass or hurt the other person, but the institution of the Rulers is far greater than face-saving exercises.

As it is, the perception of many ordinary Malaysians is that there are far too many titled people in this country.

It’s debatable if these recipients even contributed to some of the states from which they received their awards. Many are far too young to be called Datuk, seriously, and it makes a mockery of the entire awards system.

It has been reported a notorious gang of 60 hardened criminals had included four low-level politicians with the titles of Datuk and a Datuk Seri. They were reportedly from the Gang 360 Devan gang and then, there was also the leader of the notorious Gang 24 – a Datuk Seri – who was among 22 men held in other arrests. It’s a mystery whether these gang leaders had their titles withdrawn.

Selangor is an exception. For starters, Sultan Sharafuddin is known to be selective in conferring awards.

His annual honours list is short, and he doesn’t entertain any form of lobbying for such awards.

The Selangor state constitution states that only a maximum of 40 Datuk titles can be conferred each year. Most of the time, the Datuk titles awarded are far fewer than that.

HRH also imposed other strict conditions – including the minimum age of 45 – for a person to be conferred the state’s Datukship and to limit the number of recipients and protect the image and dignity of the awards.

There should also be no double standards in the revocation of awards to those convicted of crime even if it’s at the first level of the court.

If the appeals courts reverse their verdict, the awards can always be returned to the recipients.

A check with the records shows at least 11 personalities had their titles revoked and three others suspended by Selangor.

They include the late tycoon Tan Sri Eric Chia Eng Hock in 2006, following his conviction over the Perwaja Steel scandal.

Former Selangor mentri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo also had his Datuk Seri title, which came with the Keahlian Darjah Kebesaran Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor (SPMS) First Class award, cancelled and revoked in 2015, after he was found guilty of corruption.

HRH also revoked PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Seri Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah award in 2014.

The award, which carried the title Datuk Seri, was conferred upon Anwar in 1992 when he was deputy prime minister.

A media statement announcing the revocation said Anwar was stripped of the award for “repeatedly questioning the integrity of the Sultan in dealing with the Selangor mentri besar crisis, and also questioning other issues pertaining to Islam”.

The mentri besar crisis in question was the turn of events following the infamous Kajang Move, which saw then mentri besar, the late Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, ousted and replaced by Datuk Seri Muhamed Azmin Ali, who is currently the International Trade and Industry Minister.

The late Tan Sri Ting Pek Khiing, a prominent Sarawakian businessman, had his Datuk title revoked by the Sultan of Selangor in 2011 after the former was declared bankrupt.

Interestingly, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife, Toh Puan Dr Siti Hasmah Dr Ali, chose to return their titles on their own accord in 2017.

Many regarded it as a pre-emptive move as they expected their titles to be taken away.

Tuanku was incensed by derogatory remarks Dr Mahathir made against the Bugis community at the time.

The Royal Council of the Selangor Court had also called for a sedition probe on Dr Mahathir.

The biggest test of leadership – and that includes the royalty – is to make difficult but necessary and just decisions.

FAKE news about Datuk Seri Najib Razak has shifted into overdrive even though he’s already incarcerated at Kajang Prison.

Last week, two social media postings about the former premier made their rounds.

It’s unbelievable the number of people – including those who are supposedly well-informed – who swallow hook, line and sinker these misleading and deceitful messages.

Judging from the comments on some portals, there are Malaysians who believe them.

The first was a posting that claimed “Najib isn’t in a cell. A good friend whose cousin is a senior prison officer at Kajang said Najib is given a house within the prison grounds.”

These houses are supposedly meant for senior prison officers, and it was claimed that Najib is enjoying house arrest.

We should know better because the red flags were already there. It says the information came from “a friend” and if that wasn’t enough, “whose cousin is a senior prison officer”.

Well, a friend of mine whose cousin is a senior prison officer said it’s not true. The media, which often quotes anonymous sources, will never accept information from a third party.

For starters, the Kajang prison complex has homes for wardens with families and a flat for wardens who are single.

They both sit away from the prison detention building and the prison headquarters, where the administration is located.

If Najib is placed in an officer’s home and not a cell, that will surely be leaked out fast and furiously in this digital age of social media.

Don’t expect every prison warden or their family members to be fans of Najib. They won’t cast a blind eye.

This is not 1989, when Abdullah Ang, a former banker convicted of criminal breach of trust, was accorded special privileges while serving time and could reportedly wilfully walk in and out of prison.

Even that was exposed by a newspaper, the Malay Mail, and that was in the pre-Internet age.

Then there’s a video posting showing Najib in a pink baju Melayu, in a home, looking at a 2010 photograph hanging on a wall and joking with four men.

Disturbingly, many angry Malaysians believed this was his prison cell or a hospital ward.

But the video was posted by Najib himself ages ago when he visited a Felda settler, Ithnin Abdullah, in Kledang, Kota Tinggi, Johor.

You can check his Instagram account to view it. Someone deviously used this video to make it look like he is in his new cell or a hospital ward.

Understandably, many Malaysians are upset that Najib, who has committed a heinous crime and sentenced to 12 years’ jail, has been so quick to seek a pardon.

And hardly two weeks after being jailed, he sought to be sent to hospital to have a recurring stomach-related ailment treated, with his daughter saying her father “is highly prone” to stomach ulcers that flare up under stress or during an episode of gastritis.

But even if it were true, the cynicism and scepticism would be irrepressible, as they would be for claims by lawyers and their clients who seek postponement of their cases on medical grounds. It’s the oldest delaying tactic used by lawyers in court and prisoners in jail because going to the hospital or prison clinic is surely better than rotting in a cell.

Last week, the Malaysia Now portal ran a report that said after November 2017, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim spent much time at Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital until his release in May 2018.

The PKR president was sentenced to six years’ jail for his sodomy conviction but was released a week after Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the May 2018 General Election, following a royal pardon backed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s new government.

The portal also carried pictures of Anwar on his bed with his regular stream of visitors, which included Najib, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and wife, Datin Seri Hamidah Khamis.

A Google search will reveal many news reports and photographs of these high-profile visits.

Although the Prison Department says all prisoners will be treated equally, it’s easy to think that VVIP prisoners such as ex-politicians, ex-lawyers, ex-corporate figures and ex-police officers would get a slightly better deal.

For one, at least Anwar and the other politician prisoners had their own cells with attached bathrooms, or were located near the hospital clinics instead of the overcrowded cells.

But there’s no hot water for Najib, so he must bathe in cold water. He is, presumably, provided with a fan and a table, but furnishing will be sparse.

There are sound security reasons for keeping him in solitary confinement. I don’t think the authorities want to risk such prisoners being hurt by their cellmates.

But for now, Najib remains a Member of Parliament. He will continue to draw his allowances and remunerations as an MP.

This, again, will upset many people, but he still has two last ditch attempts to keep his Pekan parliamentary seat.

His lawyers have filed for a review of the Federal Court decision which upholds his conviction in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case, but this could just be clutching at straws.

Then there’s the application for a royal pardon, and while no provision exists in the law for the duration of a prisoner’s jail term before being pardoned, the practice is the person must serve a “considerable time”, and that usually means at least three years.

Besides, Najib still has four other pending cases against him, and surely that will weigh on the King’s decision. How many times can his Majesty pardon him?

But all this debate over whether Najib can remain an MP will be a moot point when Parliament is dissolved. He will automatically lose his Pekan parliamentary seat and will not be able to seek re-election.

If there’s a positive to take from Najib’s case, it’s that Malaysians are learning about our court requirements and procedures.

Many people have asked why Najib was allowed to move freely before the Federal Court judgement, which was his final court procedure of the charge in question.

That’s how our laws, which are based on the British model, work.

Well, he wasn’t denied bail and he had a final appeal platform – the Federal Court. Once it ended, he went straight to jail.

Likewise Rosmah, who was sentenced to 10 years’ jail for each of her three graft charges and fined a total of RM970mil, is at home because she was allowed bail and still has the Court of Appeals and Federal Court to take her case to. It may take two to three years before she finally exhausts her appeals.

The Malaysian court system, which is modelled after the British judiciary, may seem slow, but it provides sufficient avenues for an accused and the defence team to prepare their cases.

Najib may no longer be in the public eye, except for his appearances in court for his ongoing cases, but he’s still a newsmaker because only a fine line separates fame and infamy.

His popular social media platforms are now run by his team, but they still have a large following.

That says a lot, but it would be foolish for Umno to go the general election with Najib as its main cause, and that certainly will also affect the other Barisan Nasional parties.

The electorate wants to know how voting for Barisan can benefit the people and country, rather than treating the general election as a referendum to free or pardon Najib.

Barisan, especially Umno, must get its machinery started instead of talking about influencing party members to sign petitions supporting Najib. The recent Umno meeting may have been good for hardcore Najib supporters to let off steam, but it made the party look like it has lost its sense of objectivity.

That’s not how a party goes into a general election. It’s bad optics.

Let’s be real. Instead of casting doubt and making aspersions at the judiciary, Umno should claim credit for upholding and respecting the laws in this country. No one is above the law, after all.

Standing out: Many commended Cheah for his readiness to speak up on national issues that concern the people in his open letter to fellow Malaysians on National Day.

NOT many renowned Malaysian businessmen would want to openly discuss issues affecting the nation, particularly those involving corruption because no one wants to antagonise the powerful.

It’s fair to say their fears aren’t unfounded. After all, as businesspeople, many depend on the goodwill of politicians to get their work expedited by avoiding obstacles.

Few would want to see themselves become the target of paid mercenaries on social media, especially not when business is involved. Many prefer to whine privately, but as political dynamics become more uncertain, they find it increasingly difficult to be friendly with only one side.

Now, they need to sidle up to both sides or worse, three or four sides even, but it doesn’t always work that way. Invariably, they are expected to choose sides.

But as we head towards an impending general election, there is growing speculation that results will be inconclusive, yet again.

That means there will be another round of horse-trading and deal-making to “hammer out” a Federal Government like it happened after the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government after only two years.

Now, even the DAP has raised the possibility of working with Umno, saying it won’t rule out a collaboration with the latter as “anything is possible in politics.”

It would have been unthinkable previously. But after being in the Federal Government for 22 months, it’s hard to relinquish power. After all, power is addictive.

So, businessmen would rather stay out of the many political crosshairs and minefields.

But eyebrows were raised last week when Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, the founder and chairman of Sunway Group, penned an open letter to fellow Malaysians in conjunction with our National Day.

Many commended him for his readiness to speak up on national issues that concern Malaysians.

In his well-articulated letter, he started off by highlighting the positive developments over the past 12 months, including the historic memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the Prime Minister and the Opposition.

Cheah also cited the gazetting of the anti-party hopping law and the imminent tabling of a political finance Bill.

But the tycoon then rightly rued that “like many of my fellow Malaysians, I worry that some in power appear to be more focused on politics, rather than policies.

“We are all aware of the obstacles we face in trying to build a brighter, more progressive, more inclusive and more sustainable future for our country.”

Calling for an urgent need to strengthen national unity, he asserted that “we must all do what we can to clean up the toxicity that influences our conversations on race, religion and culture.

“And then, there is education. It is no secret that our education system needs a massive overhaul. Unless we urgently address this challenge, we will doom our children and our country to a future of poverty and misery.”

He expressed concern that the command of English among young Malaysians was on the wane, adding that while Bahasa Malaysia is obviously our national language and we should know it, “we are a trading nation and English is the language of trade and commerce. A lack of fluency in English may well pose a major hurdle in our efforts to build a prosperous Malaysia.”

Cheah also touched on corruption, intimating that “the perception is that corruption has now become endemic in this country” and “unless we seriously root out corruption, we are in trouble.”

Cheah has hit the nail on the head. The truth is, Malaysia needs to get its priorities right or risk slipping down the slope.

The level of toxicity in this country is unbelievable, especially with the amount of time devoted to politics, mostly destructive ones, when we, instead, could be focusing our energy on productivity.

Thinking out of the box has become a cliché, an overused phrase. We need everyone, especially ministers and government officials, to change their mindsets and welcome ideas and comments from credible business leaders.

It’s insufficient to be surrounded by so-called political sycophants whose skills are only limited to their manoeuvrings.

Businessmen who have proven themselves to be committed to nation-building should be encouraged to speak up since they surely mean well. They should be invited to share their expertise more often with our national leaders.

If there’s an award for “Businessman of the Year,” Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah certainly has my vote. Thank you for speaking up, sir. Standing out: Many commended Cheah for his readiness to speak up on national issues that concern the people in his open letter to fellow Malaysians on National Day.