Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

Appeals Tribunal.
On 21st March, 2011, the First-tier Appeals Tribunal (Information Rights) published their decision in the appeal - Nicoll v ICO (EA/2010/0157).

The decision of the Tribunal is that the Appeal be Dismissed.



As most will know a request was made almost three years ago (April, 2008) under the FOI Act to the Cabinet Office for the release of the ‘recommendation of the HD Committee approved by the Queen that the PJM can be accepted but not worn’. They refused to release this information and their Internal Review also refused to release it. An appeal was then made to the Information Commissioner but he also refused to release the information.

The request for this information was based on the letter from Sir Robin Janvrin (Janvirn on the letter?) to Jack Straw MP, Foreign Secretary, on 21st December, 2005, which said that the Queen had approved the ‘recommendation’.

An appeal was then made to the First-tier Appeals Tribunal (Information Rights) against the Decision Notice of the Information Commissioner. The Tribunal then invited the Cabinet Office to join this appeal without as much as ‘by-your-leave’ from the person initiating the appeal.

A telephone conference was held by the appeal Judge who was assisted by his tribunal clerk. The ICO was represented by a solicitor who was also the Group Manager, and the Cabinet Office was represented by a QC, a firm of Treasury solicitors and Michael Piggott of the Cabinet Office.

Later the Cabinet Office submitted a statement from a senior civil servant who is in charge of the Cabinet Office Ceremonial Secretariat. He said in his statement that he has 37 years service in the civil service and in 1992 was the Private Secretary to the then Prime Minister. He also said ‘Membership of the (HD) Committee comprises crown and public servants. All are, it goes without saying, required to maintain high standards of fairness, impartiality and integrity’....whew!

The Cabinet Office went to great lengths and expense to prevent the release of the ‘recommendation approved by the Queen that the PJM can be accepted but not worn’ and have refused to produce this information.

The appeal appears to have floundered on the retrospectively introduced Section 21 of the FOI Act by the Cabinet Office. They made no mention of this exemption until after the appeal commenced. The appeal decision states –

• The Cabinet Office in response to Mr Nicoll’s initial enquiry did not refer to S.21 FOIA nor was it referred to by the Information Commissioner in his Decision Notice. It may seem rather unfair to Mr Nicoll that the Respondents should seek to rely on exemptions that were not referred to at an earlier stage in this matter. However the decision of the Upper Tribunal in cases GIA/1694/2010 and GIA/2098/2010 confirms that this is a permissible course of action for the Respondents.

So basically a person can be treated unfairly yet the decision goes against him based on unfair principles. Whatever happened to justice in this country.

What we can derive from this lengthy, expensive and sometimes very difficult appeal is that the Cabinet Office has gone to great lengths to prevent British veterans from being allowed to see what they said was a recommendation when in fact they will not (cannot) produce the alleged recommendation.

The full decision of the Appeals Tribunal will be published later on their website –
http://www.informationtribunal.gov.u...cedecision.htm

A disappointing decision for the honourable PJM and those veterans who faced active service for their country in the most inhospitable areas in the world, the jungles and swamps of Malaya/Malaysia/Borneo but it does show us that every effort has been made to prevent the truth being known, and one can only ask ‘What have the Cabinet Office and those dark forces lurking in the background of all things Royal, got to hide?’ And, why has it cost so much to the taxpayer when our country is in such a poor financial state? Where is their impartiality, fairness and integrity now then?

Andy,
Chairman.



By courtesy of the Fight4thePJM Website. http://www.fight4thepjm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2295

[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

It appears as though the campaign is hopefully about to achieve some satisfactory result; we await further progress.

***************************
The Campaign for Permission to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia



LATEST NEWS!

Government Departments Unable to Rebutt Our Arguments!



Several months ago we invited the Cabinet Office and the Foreign Office to provide us with their evidence to confirm their case that The Queen has ruled that the PJM could not be worn.

Today (22/03/2011), we have been formally notified they have failed to do so. Indeed, in front of the Information Commissioner, they have said that they will not do so.

And so, after several years of fighting, we at last have the comfort of knowing that the London Gazette Notice has not been rescinded by The Queen and eligible PJMers can indeed wear their PJM with The Queen's consent.

That is not just our view, it is the view of our legal advisers whose position, like ours, is at last vindicated by dint of the civil servants' inability to produce any evidence whatsoever to support their flawed and illegal contentions.

Read on and enjoy!

Our Legal Eagle's View is that You Can Wear it with Honour!

After the HD Committee fanned its nose at our MPs and said it would not amend the PJM recommendation as demanded by MPs in Parliament, we decided that we should question the whole legal and practical basis of what has been going on. Something was not right. This is not how democracy should work. The one thing that these civil servants must do is to keep an open mind, be ready to amend decisions, and to listen to the people and to Parliament. Nothing must ever be forever – that is the long-established rule in a country like ours without a written constitution.

In the case of the PJM, however, the civil servants have decided that they are above Parliament scrutiny. We thought we should test that by way of an independent legal opinion. And so we have sought, and have obtained, a legal opinion by a leading lawyer who specialises in Military Law and related matters.

We asked a question which can be summarised as follows. What is the position regarding the apparent attempt by civil servants to restrict the rights of British citizens (to wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia which they have been granted permission to receive by the Queen) by their ‘proposal’ that was put to the Honours and Decorations Committee and eventually appeared in a Ministerial Statement in January 2006 to the effect that the PJM could be received but formal permission to wear it would be withheld?

That recommendation is a clear stigma on the medal and on British civilians entitled to receive it – as well as on Malaysia. As MPs have said in Parliament, the recommendation has brought shame on our country. That stigma, that shame, must be removed.

This legal opinion was our first formal step in that direction.



Summary of Key Points from the Opinion

We have always wanted to know if eligible holders of the PJM could wear their medal irrespective of what the civil servants are trying to tell the world. The opinion says:


[It is important to note that this part of the advice is unequivocal] Holders of the PJM are entitled to wear it by virtue of the 3 May 1968 notice. Most significantly it the Ministerial Statement ignores the London Gazette Notice of 3 May 1968 which states that the Queen has, in exercise of the Prerogative, approved that Orders, Decorations and Medals conferred with her permission on UK citizens who are not Crown servants by Commonwealth or foreign states may in all cases be worn by the recipients without restriction. Consent having been granted to applications for the PJM on 31 Jan 06, any holder who is not a military or civil servant, is thus entitled to wear it. No formal consent for civilians to wear was necessary since that consent was granted in 1968.



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We have always wanted to know if the civil servants are misleading our MPs by suggesting that because the PJM decision is subject to the Royal Prerogative our directly elected representatives in the Commons, i.e. our MPs, cannot be involved and can have no influence. The opinion says:


Parliament has the right to influence the Prerogative - Honours in the UK are still a matter for the Royal Prerogative with the sovereign in UK being advised by the Parliamentary Honours & Decorations Committee. It is, however, only advice and no one is answerable in law to matters within the Prerogative. [Despite the protestations of the civil servants – our words] Parliament may encroach on the Prerogative.



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We have always wanted to know if the civil servants have any right to dictate what a British civilian can or cannot do in respect of wearing medals to which they are entitled. The opinion says:


Neither the FCO nor the MOD may prevent a civilian from wearing anything he wants save with intent to deceive. It is probably implicit in the 31 Jan 06 Statement that the Trade Minister knew this and hence his declining to grant 'formal' permission to wear but shrinking from stating that it could not be worn.



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We have always wanted to know if the civil servants are within the law when refusing to answer our legitimate questions about matters that affect our rights. The author of the opinion said:


As you say there may be a legal issue if you are denied FOI access. It will probably be claimed that the Freedom of Information Act 2000 does not apply to matters within the Prerogative but you are in fact seeking information as to whether a Prerogative decision was tampered with. Your assessment of tampering is in my view absolutely correct but it is quaint that nobody seems to have been aware of the 1968 Prerogative decision to permit all non-Crown servants to wear all decorations they had been authorised to accept.



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We have always wanted to know if the civil servants are legally entitled to deny us the right to wear the PJM and, if not, the extent to which our civil liberties have been affected and where we could have our case heard. The opinion says:


The FCO is not entitled to prescribe a so called rule which restricts the liberty of a UK civilian without legislation. Even if parliament legislated, it could be subject to review as an unlawful restriction on liberty under EEC Act 1972 in the case of EU member states and of the Human Rights Act 1998.



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In summary, it is our view that unless the HD Committee and those who provide them with their ‘proposals’ can successfully rebut the above opinion (to date they have refused to have their case reviewed independently or by Parliamentary scrutiny), then it is clear that eligible holders of the PJM are fully entitled to wear the PJM on formal occasions and have the Queen’s approval to do so by virtue of her 1968 Notice.

THE LONDON GAZETTE, 3rd MAY 1968

When the HD Committee placed their recommendations for approval before the Queen, we are told that they asked Her to approve only acceptance of the PJM...they did not ask Her to approve the right for wear. As a result, in Her role as a constitutional monarch, Her Majesty approved the recommended acceptance of the PJM. Critically, in this PJM approval She did not rescind any of Her previous decisions. In that context, an earlier, and extant, London Gazette Notice becomes very relevant indeed!

After more than a year's work including much researching of files, some of which became inexplicably withheld from us for nearly a year (they had been 'borrowed' from the National Archives by the FCO), we uncovered this London Gazette notice.



The purpose of this 1968 Notice was to cut down on administration and bureaucracy within an overloaded and confused Honours system. Civil servants today wish to put the clock back to before that Notice so that they can continue their stranglehold on the System. To achieve that they claim this Notice does not apply to PJMers ... only their own discredited decree must apply. We do not agree with them because the 1968 papers are clear - if you are a private citizen when a medal is conferred on you with The Queen's permission, then you have Her permission to wear it.

The text of this notice is clear, concise and incontrovertible - I urge you to read it carefully and ask yourself...Am I eligible under this notice? If the answer to that question is 'Yes' then you can wear your PJM with honour on formal occasions.

If you have any lingering doubts about your eligibility under the London Gazette Notice as a private citizen when the PJM was conferred, they will be eliminated by the information posted on the official web site of the Malaysian High Commission. It confirms that the PJM was conferred in 2006 and if you were not in Crown Service at that time and therefore eligible, then the London Gazette Notice of May 1968 gives you The Queen's permission to wear the Pingat Jasas Malaysia.

Furthermore, in July 2008 a Government Minister told a PJMer that he was delighted to see the PJM being worn on an official occasion, saying "The Queen's Warrant [i.e. the London Gazette Notice] gives permission, and it had not been rescinded."

Now, where does that leave "the faceless wonders who state that we cannot wear the medal" (a quote attributed to the same Government Minister)?

Those of us in the Fight4the PJM Team who previously felt unable to wear their PJM, will now do so in the light of the Gazette Notice. We remain loyal to The Queen and will abide by her known decrees. Until the Gazette Notice is rescinded or amended by Her we shall wear our PJMs with honour.

And so our job is done.

Or is it? ...

The Future
... as for the future, we intend to continue the fight until all recipients can wear their PJM - not just those now eligible under the London Gazette notice.

Furthermore, we shall continue to campaign until permission to wear the PJM is publicly proclaimed and the stigma placed on our medal has been removed forever.


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(Having read this important and recently updated notice, please click here to enter the site)


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http://www.fight4thepjm.org/

[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

The members of the Association ("Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia") are actively engaged in correspondence where they have a "Tory MP" as their local constituent............the following is an example of a letter members are encouraged to send...........

if you have a Tory MP please send the following.

The Conservative Party at the General Election promised a review of medals now the MoD are carrying out a internal review of medals but I do not believe that this is the review that was promised to us veterans.
Our elected representatives should make the rules and the Civil Servants should carry them out but it appears to be the other way round.
This MoD internal review will report eventually to the Prime Minister this review in my opinion should be discussed in Parliament for it is only Parliament that can make the laws that we live by otherwise why do we have it?
I ask that the following be taken into account during this review; foreign medals as long as they have been accepted should be allowed to be worn by civilians on all occasions without showing discourtesy to HM the Queen.
I thank you for your time.




Here are two replies received to this date (as published on the official forum)

After contacting my MP, this arrived yesterday ::

"Thank you for your email of today’s date regarding the review of medals. I think you make an excellent point, and medals awarded should be able to be worn.

I will pass that on to Liam Fox, and if I get the opportunity, also with the PM

Best wishes

Caroline

Caroline Nokes MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
Tel: 0207 219 7218"



and

From Dr Julian Lewis to the Veterans Minister

Andrew Robathan MP
Under Secretary of State
Ministry of Defence
Floor 5, Main Building
Whitehall
London SW1A 2HB
24 January 2011

Dear Andrew,

PJM Medal

I understand from Veterans of the campaign in Malaya and Borneo that our promised Review of outstanding Service medal claims is now underway. I should like to make a few brief observations.

With regard to retrospective arguments about whether certain dangerous campaigns deserve to have a medal or clasp awarded to them, I understand the difficulties of second guessing decisions that were taken much closer to the events concerned. However, the Canal Zone case established a precedent that retrospective awards could be made if there were no records of the issue having been considered but rejected at the time.

Another category that deserves consideration is where a campaign might have been overlooked for political reasons for example, the breakdown of relations with Russia perhaps influencing the strange decision not to recognise the Arctic convoys except, bizarrely, by the award of the Atlantic Star in some cases. I hope that a generous interpretation can be made where there is reason to think that campaigns were either overlooked or disregarded for some extraneous reasons of that sort.

I am not sympathetic to the view that medals should be awarded to people by dint of their simply having been in the Services. The last Government introduced the Veterans' Badges, and this has been an excellent way of recognising that commitment; but we should not go down the route of awarding medals outside the context of participation in campaigns or individual acts of bravery. (I know there are such worthy awards as Long Service and Good Conduct medals and even Coronation medals but these should really be exceptions rather than the rule.)

This leaves the question of decorations awarded by foreign governments. Here, I understand that, where Service personnel have received a medal or clasp for a particular campaign, it might seem a little arbitrary that some foreign governments would also grant medals for some campaigns whilst others would not. I have just finished writing a book which deals in part with RAF personnel who served in Russia during the Civil War between the White and Red forces. Interestingly, they were allowed to wear their White Russian awards together with their British awards and the same applies to RAF personnel who fought in Oman more recently Given that the number of foreign governments is limited these days who take the trouble to show appreciation of the risks run by our Forces, I think it would make a large number of Veterans very happy if objections to the wearing of the PJM could now finally be removed.



http://www.fight4thepjm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2280



Let us all hope that the incumbent British Government resolves this long outstanding and unsatisfactory situation in an expeditious and timely manner.

[Kelly d]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

Gordon,

If you could be following the current government, you would understand there are many Deceptions going on. The New Lib-Dems promised English college students they would not raise the fees. They have now done a 180 degree! They are wanting to bump the minimum from £2100 to £9000!

No wonder the riots are occuring! Clegg went as far as to warn the ministry, those who do not support the raise will find it very difficult to work! It is an explosive situation.

[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

This a small quote from the UK Parliament in regard to the PJM. Still not much has been resolved, politicians and their civil service minions become of less value with each and every passing day!!! :angry:

***********************

Armed Forces: Medals
House of Lords
Written answers and statements, 7 December 2010

Lord Touhig (Labour)

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand to allow veterans of the Malaysia Campaign to accept and wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal; and whether they will review their policy on this matter in respect of British troops.

**

Lord Howell of Guildford (Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Conservative)

Honours policy and decisions on acceptance and wear of awards are matters for the individual Governments concerned. There are no plans to review the UK decision on the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal.

****

Annotations


John Feltham
Posted on 8 Dec 2010 2:36 pm (Report this annotation)

Lord Howell's replied - "There are no plans to review the UK decision on the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal."

I am sure that the current Government, when they were in opposition a very short time ago, gave the Veterans an asssurance, quite contrary to what Lord Howell is saying now.

In some quarters that would be seen as deception.

What short memories some people have.


I assume that the promise was a verbal promise - not worth the paper that it was written on?


Sign in or join to post a public annotation.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/...malaysia#g25.2

[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

He was British Army/REME and Para.

Kelly,

If you are checking on eligibility for the PJM try this venue initially (another source is The Royal British Legion).

------------------------------------------------------------

If you need help on a PJM issue, you can contact us in four ways - via this page, by email, by telephone, or by letter. Before doing so, please note that we are not responsible for PJM applications or delivery. If you have a query about your medal, in the first instance contact the NMBVA at www.nmbva.co.uk. However, if any problems about your PJM persist, we will help you if we can.

Please also remember that our offices can only operate with the help, willingly given, of unpaid volunteers who selflessly give up their time to help us and you (they all have a 'day job' unconnected with the PJM), so please be understanding in your communications if we are unable to reply immediately.

Hope this helps on the medal issue.........PS it would be handy if you had a copy of appropriate service records/service number etc., to quote from also periods/dates of deployments.

this is the web address http://www.fight4thepjm.org/index_addresses.htm

Good luck with your search.
Gordon :redrose:

[Kelly d]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

He was British Army/REME and Para.

[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

Gordon,

I have a really dumb question but those years 1959 to 1962 is when Bill was stationed in Malaysia and Borneo. He never received any medal that I was aware of. He went from Borneo to German until 1969. Was he supposed to receive one? I am really confused by the above ordeal.

Kelly,
I'm not sure what the rules of eligibility were (dates etc.) Also was Bill UK/Commonwealth forces or US?
Gordon

[Kelly d]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

Gordon,

I have a really dumb question but those years 1959 to 1962 is when Bill was stationed in Malaysia and Borneo. He never received any medal that I was aware of. He went from Borneo to German until 1969. Was he supposed to receive one? I am really confused by the above ordeal.

[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

theyamyam.com Walsall News UK. Tuesday 9th November 2010 1:42am

Comment
Wearing medals with pride
Derek Bennett 1 Nov 10
How quickly the time and the months fly by, today is the 1st November, what little bit of summer we had is now a distant memory, the leaves on the trees are giving a rich display of colour and we all begin to think of the approach of Armistice Day and remembrance Sunday…

Every year, with one or two of our other UKIP members in Walsall we join the parade to the local cenotaph and, with the many others present, we lay a poppy wreath in memory of all those brave men and women who gave so much for our country. In recent years, Fred my father in Law, who served in the Pacific fleet during World War Two also proudly, joined us, that was until his hip problems. On one side of his jacket he would wear his medals, on the other those his father was awarded for his part in the First World War, it was always a very proud moment for him, as it is for all those who have served our country in times of conflict.

Although I mention the First and Second World Wars, there have been many other conflicts British men and women have been asked to serve in, as we are fully aware with the constant news of our young men and women in Afghanistan, and sadly too many of them returning home in coffins. All these people who have served have medals which they will wear on parades all around the country on the 11th November and Sunday 14th November – and we will all have great pride and admiration for them for their service to us and our country. However, there will be one body of men and women, many of them who were conscripts at the time, who were sent to fight by the British Government but will be denied the right to wear their medals with equal pride.

This body of people did not shame this country in any way, quite the opposite, what they did has consequences that in many ways shape our lives today. They fought a campaign which they won and ensured that political intolerance was not allowed to spread. These people are those that were sent to fight in the jungles of Malaysia in the battle against Communism between 1948 and 1960, with many staying longer to ensure the peace was held.

This was a conflict not dissimilar to that of the USA in Vietnam; the terrain was similar as was the idealism and fanaticism of the enemy. It was a fight against a Communist insurgency that wanted to spread the tentacles of Communist into Malaysia, but our troops defeated them and stopped Communism from spreading.

They did that by the tactic of living in the jungle and taking on the Communists on their own ground using their own tactics, unlike the Americans that went out into the jungle, shot a few Vietnamese then after their tour returned to base and relative safety. The British tactics paid off whereas we all know what happened to the Americans.

The reason these ex-servicemen and women who did their duty in Malaysia are not allowed to wear their medal with pride on Armistice day and Remembrance Sunday parades is down to the UK policy of not recognising foreign medals, and the Pingat Jasa medal is classed as a foreign medal which has been awarded by the Malaysia government to those who served there as gratitude for the fact they saved them from Communism.


If this was a strict policy, then maybe and begrudgingly we could acceptable it. However, it is not strict policy and it is within the remit of Whitehall to recommend to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, to grant permission to the veterans who earned this medal to wear them on parade. This was allowed for all those who sailed in the Russian convoys in World War Two who were awarded the Russian Convoy Medal. So why not allow the same priviledge to al those who did their duty in Malaysia? After all, they were there on the orders of the British Government and the medal is a way of thanks to them, by refusing them permission this is not only a slap in the face for the veterans who did so much and were successful in their efforts too, it is also a slap in the face for the officials and government of Malaysia whose simple gesture to our brave men and women should be accepted politely in the manner in which it was intended.

I hope you will support their campaign, even write to Her Majesty, the PM and your local MP about this and see if we can change this silly ruling. The veterans are not getting any younger and they should be allowed to wear their medal with pride. If you attend a service on either the 11th or 14th November, as the Last Post is called, remember our Malay veterans too and the injustice given to them and please support their campaign.

Posted by Derek Bennett EU-Sceptic at 15:06
Derek has an interesting site to view http://derekbennetteu-sceptic.blogsp...ith-pride.html

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Andy Nicoll says:
November 8, 2010 at 1:01 pm
The King of Malaysia awarded the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) medal to all British and Commonwealth troops who served in Malaysia and Borneo during the Emergency and Konfrontasi from 31st August, 1957, to 31st December, 1966. British citizens only were denied the right to wear the PJM because of unlawful and undemocratic rules implemented and imposed by unelected civil servants known as the Honours and Decorations Committee. This committee acts in secret, reports to HM the Queen and does not report to parliament. To add insult to injury, they recommended to the Queen, that the PJM could be worn by British citizens in Malaysia during a three week period in 2007 when the veterans were visiting that country during the 50th Anniversary celebrations of Independence. British citizens in the Uk were still denied the right to wear the PJM then.
What happened to democracy in our country when unelected pen-pushers can make rules which they impose upon British citizens. What happened to justice in the UK and what happened to dignity and respect for British veterans. It is time we had our country back and this type of nonsense was stopped once and for all.

read more comments http://www.theyamyam.com/wearing-med...-1#comment-115

[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

Armed Forces: Medals
House of Lords
Written answers and statements, 25 October 2010

Email me when Lord Touhig speaksMost recent apperancesNumerologyFull profile ...
Lord Touhig (Labour)

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to ask the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals to review the advice given to HM the Queen on the acceptance and wearing of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal.
Hansard source (Citation: HL Deb, 25 October 2010, c219W)Email me when Lord Howell of Guildford speaksMost recent apperancesNumerologyFull profile ...
Lord Howell of Guildford (Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Conservative)

The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (the HD Committee), which advises Her Majesty The Queen on matters of honours policy, made the decision in 2005 that the Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal could be received but not worn.

The HD Committee, of which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is a member, has reviewed this decision on two separate occasions and in both cases upheld the original decision.

The FCO is not aware of any plans by the HD Committee to further review the decision.

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Annotations
John Ireland
Posted on 26 Oct 2010 12:50 pm (Report this annotation)

This shows that the present government are just as dishonest as their predecessors were. In opposition they promised us a review of this decision and in government they renage on it. They should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

John Cooper
Posted on 26 Oct 2010 1:09 pm (Report this annotation)

I would like to thank Lord Touhig for his question, a friend and ally of 35000 ex Malaysian/Borneo Veterans, we knew our enemy well in the 1950/1960's it looks as if we have other counter insurgents in our midst under the present coaalition

They know no bounds, dastardly deeds is the name of their game, I shall remember that when the next election comes around!!!

John Rushton
Posted on 26 Oct 2010 1:33 pm (Report this annotation)

Thank you Lord Touhig for raising this yet again on our behalf.

Yet again though, promises in Opposition mean nothing and are ignored when in power.

We were promised that this appalling decision would be reviewed and in the words of the previous Prime Minister, "I'll look into it". Of course he never did and never will.

I ask again, who is running this country, elected politicians or Civil Servants of the H and D Committee who continue to insult 35000 veterans of the Malayan Emergency and Confrontation Campaigns.

Why do I not have the right to wear this medal when all other recipients, Australian, New Zealand, Fijians who recieved it for the same Commonwealth service do have the Queens permission to wear it. Tell me that !!

John Feltham
Posted on 26 Oct 2010 1:37 pm (Report this annotation)

I thank Lord Touhig for asking his question.

He will now see what a dishonest and discredited mob they are.

They promised us a review.

No review is now forthcoming.

We got rid of the last lot at the ballet box.

It looks like we have to do the same to this lot.

Gerald Law
Posted on 26 Oct 2010 1:41 pm (Report this annotation)

Once again the true colours of our so called elected representatives are shown. Lord Touhig is to applauded for championing the cause of 35000 British Veterans who have been treated shamefully by successive Governments and the Civil Service, both of which are supposed to serve the electorate. Fat chance in the charade that is British democracy! The Tories, when they were seeking our votes, promised a review of the whole business whereby a handful of non-elected Civil Servants could make decisions affecting those who served the nation so many years ago. It's not as if their decisions are logical - their rules are flexible when it suits them, but if it means behaving honourably towards those who pay their salaries, then the rules appear to be set in stone. Gerald Law

andrew nicoll
Posted on 26 Oct 2010 6:47 pm (Report this annotation)

As the Chairman of the Fight4thePJM Association I would like to thank most sincerely Lord Don Touhig for his continual support in our quest for truth and justice against a cabal of eight members of the HD Committee who refuse to acknowledge that their recommendation that the PJM could be accepted but not worn by UK citizens is an unlawful act which their position of unelected civil servants does not authorise them to do. We are supposed to be a democracy but it is more like a dictatorship where the truth is the enemy of the ruling elite.
When the media reported the French ban on the wearing in public of the burkha which covers the whole body, the immigration minister said it would not be banned in Britain because it is not the British thing to do and it would not be correct to make laws banning the wear of articles in the street.
If the present coalition government is serious about their Coalition Programme for Government which states they will reinstate the broken military covenant and review the rules on medals, then they should bring the axe down on such committees which make their own rules and usurp the elected government.
Their boss, call me Dave, visited Scotland, where the Tories are an almost extinct political class. He asked if a change of name might improve their public image in Scotland and was told by a Scottish Conservative just call us the effing Tories, as that is what most people in Scotland call us.
Now they have shown the whole country that they cannot be trusted. They all suffer from the selective memory syndrome which makes them forget their promises. Most people said nothing would change after the election, and they were spot on.
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http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/...alaysia#g219.8

PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

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[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

From the "Star online Malaysia.......letters to the Editor...

British rule disallows wearing of PJM Sunday September 5, 2010

"I READ with interest the report “20 honoured for defending Malaysia” (The Star, Aug 31). I served in the British army in Malaya from 1956 to 1958 and I am the proud holder of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia awarded to me by the Yang di-Pertuan Agung.

Unfortunately, and unlike my fellow veterans in Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia who are allowed to wear the PJM, I have been told that I do not have permission to wear it because of British rules made up by the Honours and Decorations Committee and implemented, changed, altered and abused in any way or manner in which they, the committee, deem necessary.

They say the Queen has authorised this non-wear of the PJM but the HD Committee acts in secret and refuses to cooperate even with our elected parliament.

I am the chairman of the Fight4thePJM Association and we have been campaigning to have this rule changed so that British veterans are allowed to wear the honourable PJM just like veterans from the Commonwealth.

We have petitioned the Queen and the Scottish Parliament and had the matter raised in the House of Commons. It was discussed in Westminster Hall and a Ten Minute Rule Bill introduced it to our parliament.

Most politicians agree that the rule banning the wearing of the PJM is inconsistent and wrong. Unfortunately, the eight civil service members of the HD Committee have refused to admit their mistake and listen to reason.

In Malaysia and all over the world, veterans are treated with respect and compassion but this is not the case in Britain."

ANDREW NICOLL,

Scotland.

[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

20 honoured for defending Malaysia

Source....The Star online.Malaysia. Tuesday August 31, 2010

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KUALA LUMPUR: Even though they are not Malaysians, they fought valiantly against communists who threatened to snuff out Malaysia in its infancy.

Among the 20 recipients of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia conferred to veterans for their service in defending Malaysia’s sovereignty during the days of insurgency and the Confrontation, eight were from New Zealand, Australia and Britain.

“It was a very humbling experience. I felt really appreciated,” said Edward Buck Healey, 71, after receiving the medal from Army chief Jen Datuk Zulkifeli Mohd Zin at the Defence Ministry here yesterday.

The New Zealander was a young lad when he was posted to Kedah with the 1st Royal New Zealand Regiment A Company during the Malayan Emergency in 1961.

“We were only boys and we thought we were bullet-proof. Of course, we found out otherwise.

“It was a very different Malaysia back then. We were always patrolling the Thai border and we would stay in the jungle for days looking for communist stashes,” Healey related.

Healey’s fellow comrade Raymond William R. Foster from D Company was elated when he received the medal.

“I did not expect this at all. I am really happy to be honoured for my service,” he said.

Foster also said he had returned to Malaysia 12 times after finishing his stint in 1964.

“I love it here. While the country has advanced by leaps and bounds, Malaysians are still as friendly as back then,” said Foster, who also advised young Malaysians to work hard and look after their country.

Another recipient, Che Onn Neamat, served in Borneo from 1966 to 1967 when Malaysia was engaged in armed confrontation with Indonesia.

“Even though my duties involved maintaining vehicles, it was an equally important job to make sure our forces functioned as one,” said the 69-year-old retiree from Malacca who enlisted with the British Army Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...68&&sec=nation

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Now.from the PJM website -----one of four "thank you" letters sent to the Editor of The Star. :smile:

"To: The Editor, The Star Online
Re: Your Article '20 honoured for defending Malaysia', 31 Aug 2010

Sir,

We in the UK read your newspaper online and I was very interested to read this article. I served in the Commonwealth Brigade in Malacca with New Zealanders and Australians. Queen Elizabeth II has formally approved the Pingat Jasa Medal to be worn by everyone except us British. She was advised by civil servants who said that the Malaysian medal did not meet a British standard! We do not agree and have been fighting for five years to reverse this shameful decision. We are backed by Parliament. We are very proud of our service to Malaysia and with our Malaysian friends, and it is time for British civil servants to recognise what Malaysia has achieved and our small part in helping Malaysia protect its newly won Independence. Your readers can know more by visiting our web site at www.fight4thepjm.org.

I attended the Malaysian High Commission in London last Friday accompanying a man who was presented with his father's posthumous PJM - but the family is banned from wearing it in memory of their relative even though the deceased father had served in the Malay Regiment for 10 years and conducted the Orchestra at the Merdeka Celebrations in August 1957.

Barry Fleming etc"

I very much hope others will write to the editor at editor@thestar.com.my.


_________________
BarryF is fighting for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia
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The other congratulatory letters may be read at......................

Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia website topic :cool:


http://www.fight4thepjm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2243

[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

Posthumous PJM Presented to a Special Family

This from the "Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia" website Sat Aug 28, 2010 8:15 am



http://www.fight4thepjm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2241
Quote..........."Yesterday was a rather special day. I accompanied a man to the Malaysian High Commission – he was to be presented with his father’s posthumous PJM.

The man was Major (Retd) Peter Lenthall, not himself a PJMer but his family has a long history of service to Malaysia. Peter Lenthall and his brother and sister were born in Malaya. His father was Captain Edgar Lenthall MBE ARCM. During WW2 Edgar Lenthall served with the British army and was engaged in the final battle before the fall of Singapore. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese, as were other members of the family. Peter escaped on a boat to Durban.

After the war, Captain Edgar Lenthall served for 10 years with the Malay Regiment. He was also the director of music and Peter has recordings of some his compositions. Edgar Lenthall conducted the orchestra at the 1957 Merdeka Celebrations in Kuala Lumpur.



Edgar Lenthall’s PJM was presented to Peter (who was there on behalf of his family) by the new Malaysian Defence Adviser, Brigadier Othman Jamal who was with his assistant, Major Izwan Zainal Amran RMAF. I remembered the Brigadier – he was at the MHC when I was presented with my PJM by the then Deputy Prime Minister, now Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak in July 2006. The Brigadier, then a major, was Tun Razak’s aide at the time.

After yesterday’s presentation, I handed both Peter Lenthall and the Malaysian Defence Adviser a Fight4thePJM Lapel Pin and explained to everyone in the room the current position of the campaign. Whilst I never invite comment from our Malaysian friends in order to avoid embarrassment, I think I detected looks of approval for our ongoing fight to have full honours restored to their medal – that air of approval grew when they read our motto on our Lapel Pin “Pingat Kami-Hak Kami”, “Our Medal-Our Right”!

I took the opportunity to explain that the 1968 London Gazette provided the Queen’s approval for eligible recipients to wear their PJM and that this was backed up by our Legal Opinion. I also explained that the Coalition Government had made a solemn pledge in their Manifesto to review the Honours System, and the PJM decision. I went on to emphasise that we at the F4 will ensure that all participators, particularly MPs who signed EDMs, are regularly reminded about their solemn pledges.

But yesterday was a day for the Lenthall family. Theirs is some history - some service! And the family now have their father’s PJM."

[1938 Observer]

Re: Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysian Service Medal)

Chelsea Pensioners Debut Album 12.07.10

BritishForcesNews | July 13, 2010

They are living London landmarks and have a combined age of nearly 550. But that hasn't stopped 7 Chelsea Pensioners from signing a record deal. The album will be called the Men In Scarlet and will be released in November. Our reporter Claire Sadler has been to the Royal Hospital Chelsea to find out more

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Now you may be wondering what this has to do with this forum topic theme.......

Just go the Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia forum


to read the topic Chelsea Penioners Show The Way

http://www.fight4thepjm.org/forum/vi...239&highlight=