KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in Prime Minister's Department Datuk Azalina Othman Said revealed that there are 2,256 honorary order titles at the federal level.
Of this number, 85 carry the title of ‘Tun’ with 42 Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara award holders and another 43 who received Seri Setia Mahkota award.
Azalina said this in a written reply to Nga Kor Ming (Taiping-DAP), who asked for the actual number of individuals who received the titles ‘Dato’, ‘Dato Seri’, ‘Tan Sri’ and ‘Tun’.
Nga also asked the government to comment on the Royal address of the Johor Sultan who had commented that there were too many individuals carrying the title "Datuk".
"There are 134 Panglima Mangku Negara award holders and 886 Panglima Setia Mahkota. Both the awards carry the title of ‘Tan Sri’," Azalina said.
"There are 976 Panglima Jasa Negara award recipients and Panglima Setia DiRaja, 175. Both the awards carry the title ‘Datuk’," she added.
The number includes recipients who are no longer alive.
Azalina also said that the honorary order titles awarded at state level are the prerogative of the Rulers of the respective states.
"The records of the recipients are coordinated by the state secretary's office," she added.