It is rather unfortunate that some Malaysians are ignorant of the official title of "First Lady" in the current administration, which officially refers to the wife of the serving prime minister in office. As a retired Malaysian diplomat, I am surprised that the Protocol Division in the Prime Minister's Department as well as the Foreign Ministry had failed to clarify the issue in the interest of the public. Do we expect the wife of the incumbent prime minister to justify herself that "she should be officially or formally addressed as "Malaysia's First Lady"?
I wish to recall that the controversial issue of "First Lady" was officially used by the wife of former prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir when Tun Siti Hasmah took office as the "First Lady". For the record, nobody had queried or made any negative statement against the official title of "First Lady" at the time of Tun Siti Hasmah. Subsequently, the late wife of former PM Tun Abdullah was also addressed as "First Lady" without any criticism. However, in July, 2007 some unsound spin doctors had openly criticised Tun Jean Abdullah for the controversial use of the formal title as "First Lady".
In recent months, some unsound spin doctors had openly condemned the use of the controversial title as "First Lady" by Datin Seri Rosmah, the incumbent wife of prime minister Najib. I am non partisan but only wish to share my protocol knowledge and social etiquette, so that this issue of "First Lady" should be clarified and resolved for public interest without malice and prejudice. I HAVE ALSO HEARD VERY UNKIND REMARKS AGAINST DATIN SERI ROSMAH FOR THE USE OF THE OFFICIAL ADDRESS AS 'FIRST LADY' IN PUBLIC FUNCTIONS.
The use of the official title 'First Lady' accorded to the wife of the prime minister had been misunderstood by many officials as well as the general public. Malaysia is not a republic like Singapore, Indonesia, USA and some other countries, where the "First Lady" is the wife of the incumbent President in office. In Malaysia, "The First Lady" is the official title of the prime minister's wife, in terms of protocol and etiquette to complement the official status of the Rt Honorable Prime Minister.
Protocol dictates that the wife of the His Majesty YDP Agong is officially addressed as "Her Majesty Permaisuri Agong" and not as"The First Lady" which may have been misunderstood by the public, including some spin doctors. Her Majesty Permaisuri Agong takes precedence over 'The First Lady' in all official and unofficial functions, both locally as well as internationally.
Needless to say, there is nothing wrong or suspicious about the role and the use of the official address of "The First Lady" wife of the prime minister. However, it would be the right protocol and etiquette to officially addressed the wife of the prime minister as "The First Lady or our First Lady" in the presence of foreign guests and dignitaries as a formal official respect to our PM's wife. However, it may not be appropriate to address PM's wife as "The First Lady" in local social functions or even at wedding receptions.
I believe all our former "First Lady" like Tun Siti Hasmah and Tun Jean Abdullah as well as currently Datin Seri Rosmah will not fuss over such a trivial protocol issue, that had never affected their official position as the wife of the Malaysian prime minister and Head of Government.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The battle of wits between Penang Chief Minister and State Development Officer
The recent media outburst between Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Nik Ali, the State Development Officer had been highlighted in the last few weeks. Unfortunately, the issue is getting juicy and certainly needs to be resolved properly in the public interest. I hope both parties involved the Federal and State authority should the issues professionally, without fear or favour. As I see it after having analysed the issues raised by Guan Eng and his sparring partner Nik Ali, the matter had been politicised by some concerned penang political warlords from both the political divide. I wonder who actually is telling the truth of the issues, DAP or UMNO?
The Sun reported today that KSN Sidek Hassan clears the air and ironically it is about "the chair issue" that had resulted in the recent flare-up. Lim Guan Eng said it was a non issue concocted by certain individuals to discredit him in order to divert public attention on the scandalous issues that had involved certain state projects that are funded by the Federal government through the office of the SDO.
As reported by Guan Eng, he would not have stood so low in his capacity as a Chief Minister to fuss over a protocol issue, when he was late for an official function in last October and having his chair removed in the first roll of VVIP before his arrival. I believe Guan Eng is the least protocol conscious politician around, and said that he did not make a big deal about it and could be seated somwhere at the back. KSN probably was in a dilemma as Guan Eng had no opportunity to brief him on th real issues that flared up between himself and Nik Ali. I believe the administrative issues should have been handled professionally between the Chief Minister and the SDO authority, even before the intervention of the prime minister himself as well as the KSN.
In conclusion, the following issues raised by the Chief Minister are of public interest, namely the sand theft in Balik Papan, the botanical gardens arches that had been declared unsafe and resulted in the losses of RM150,000 should not be ignored. Under any circumstances, the Chief Minister has the right be involved in the administrative process of the State government and the local authorities within the approved laws and regulations. It is no longer seen as a minor spat between two powerful individuals in their battle of the wits, in order to justify their respective authority but without the political will to resolve the more important issues. Senior civil servants should not be over zealous or challenge the state authority under the administration of the chief Minister, that may affect the political scenario of Penang in the coming PRU13. I believe the DAP will try everything possible to retain it's supreme political base in Penang and BN will continue to destablise the administration of Penang in order to recapture the state in the next election.
The Sun reported today that KSN Sidek Hassan clears the air and ironically it is about "the chair issue" that had resulted in the recent flare-up. Lim Guan Eng said it was a non issue concocted by certain individuals to discredit him in order to divert public attention on the scandalous issues that had involved certain state projects that are funded by the Federal government through the office of the SDO.
As reported by Guan Eng, he would not have stood so low in his capacity as a Chief Minister to fuss over a protocol issue, when he was late for an official function in last October and having his chair removed in the first roll of VVIP before his arrival. I believe Guan Eng is the least protocol conscious politician around, and said that he did not make a big deal about it and could be seated somwhere at the back. KSN probably was in a dilemma as Guan Eng had no opportunity to brief him on th real issues that flared up between himself and Nik Ali. I believe the administrative issues should have been handled professionally between the Chief Minister and the SDO authority, even before the intervention of the prime minister himself as well as the KSN.
In conclusion, the following issues raised by the Chief Minister are of public interest, namely the sand theft in Balik Papan, the botanical gardens arches that had been declared unsafe and resulted in the losses of RM150,000 should not be ignored. Under any circumstances, the Chief Minister has the right be involved in the administrative process of the State government and the local authorities within the approved laws and regulations. It is no longer seen as a minor spat between two powerful individuals in their battle of the wits, in order to justify their respective authority but without the political will to resolve the more important issues. Senior civil servants should not be over zealous or challenge the state authority under the administration of the chief Minister, that may affect the political scenario of Penang in the coming PRU13. I believe the DAP will try everything possible to retain it's supreme political base in Penang and BN will continue to destablise the administration of Penang in order to recapture the state in the next election.
Monday, July 19, 2010
The plight of foreign spouses in Malaysia
Malaysia is a wonderful country to earn a living and also to live comfortably in comparison to most other countries in the region. The nation's security and economic stability provide an ideal environment for many emigrants to enter the country, either legally or illegally through syndicated human trafficking activities that the authority has discovered recently. Although the government does not have an accurate statistics on the actual number of illegal immigrants, it is believe to be in the region of more than 2.5 million people. It is an indirect human capital asset to the government which also provide a reasonable economic impact to the nation's financial resources.
In post independent Malaysia, the issue of citizenship and domiciled permanent residence are being regulated by the provisions as stipulated in the Federal Constitution. However, in the post 1957 era after independence, various steps were taken by the government in approving any outstanding citizenship applications as guaranteed by the Constitution. According to the Constitution, all persons born in 1957 are automatically citizens of Malaysia.
Today, Malaysia like any other countries faces global challenges in the intervention of human rights and transmigration issues as we live beyond the borders of our neighbors. The world is becoming smaller through the rapid and efficiency in communications and ICT global networking. Malaysians travel worldwide to seek better business and professional opportunities as well as in furthering their quest for education excellence. Thousands of Malaysians of all ethnic origin, Chinese, Malays, Indians and others are living, working and studying overseas around the world. The United States of America, England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand top the list of preferred countries for Malaysians in seeking new opportunities. Over the last few decades, thousand of Malaysians decided to adopt foreign citizenship or stayed on as permanent resident.
As a result of the above global integration, intermarriages became a matrimonial trend and resulted in the increase of foreign spouses on their return to Malaysia. It is neither a choice nor preference that these patriotic Malaysians returned to their homeland in order to be with their loved ones and extended families. The majority of these new bred of Malaysians with international exposure are young professionals. Some are also married to foreign spouses who are professionals that may enhance our human capital development for the nation.
It is hope that the government will consider seriously the plight of foreign spouses who are required to apply and obtain their permanent residence. Over and above the security clearance requirements for the consideration of a permanent resident, the government should review the bureaucratic application procedures. In most developed countries, foreign spouses are allowed to seek employment on the basis of work permit while waiting for the outcome of their PR application.
Malaysians who are married to foreign spouses should be given an equal opportunity to enjoy the same social benefits like all other citizens. It is a positive move by the Home Ministry to consider children who are born overseas of mixed Malaysian and foreign parentage, are now considered as citizen upon their birth registration with the Malaysian Embassy or High Commission. Malaysia is now on the right track to resolve our transmigration issues in line with international practice and convention.
In post independent Malaysia, the issue of citizenship and domiciled permanent residence are being regulated by the provisions as stipulated in the Federal Constitution. However, in the post 1957 era after independence, various steps were taken by the government in approving any outstanding citizenship applications as guaranteed by the Constitution. According to the Constitution, all persons born in 1957 are automatically citizens of Malaysia.
Today, Malaysia like any other countries faces global challenges in the intervention of human rights and transmigration issues as we live beyond the borders of our neighbors. The world is becoming smaller through the rapid and efficiency in communications and ICT global networking. Malaysians travel worldwide to seek better business and professional opportunities as well as in furthering their quest for education excellence. Thousands of Malaysians of all ethnic origin, Chinese, Malays, Indians and others are living, working and studying overseas around the world. The United States of America, England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand top the list of preferred countries for Malaysians in seeking new opportunities. Over the last few decades, thousand of Malaysians decided to adopt foreign citizenship or stayed on as permanent resident.
As a result of the above global integration, intermarriages became a matrimonial trend and resulted in the increase of foreign spouses on their return to Malaysia. It is neither a choice nor preference that these patriotic Malaysians returned to their homeland in order to be with their loved ones and extended families. The majority of these new bred of Malaysians with international exposure are young professionals. Some are also married to foreign spouses who are professionals that may enhance our human capital development for the nation.
It is hope that the government will consider seriously the plight of foreign spouses who are required to apply and obtain their permanent residence. Over and above the security clearance requirements for the consideration of a permanent resident, the government should review the bureaucratic application procedures. In most developed countries, foreign spouses are allowed to seek employment on the basis of work permit while waiting for the outcome of their PR application.
Malaysians who are married to foreign spouses should be given an equal opportunity to enjoy the same social benefits like all other citizens. It is a positive move by the Home Ministry to consider children who are born overseas of mixed Malaysian and foreign parentage, are now considered as citizen upon their birth registration with the Malaysian Embassy or High Commission. Malaysia is now on the right track to resolve our transmigration issues in line with international practice and convention.
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