KUALA LUMPUR: Registered in May last year to "champion the pride of our nations Datuk and Dato' honorifics", the Council of Datuk Dato' Malaysia (MDDM) will officially launch the organisation on July 27.
It's secretary-general Datuk Samson Manan, in the press invite said the organisation was formed with the support of the Home Ministry, to protect the good name of the respective Rulers who have conferred these titles.
The launch, set to take place at the One World Hotel in Petaling Jaya will also see the attendance of 400 guests.
On its website, MDDM said the honorifics had been battered by many illegal and dubious unregistered societies claiming to represent fake and unrecognised Dato' and Datuk at all levels.
The council said they had a meeting with the Home Minister at the time to seek enhanced enforcement following various cases of victims being scammed and cheated by those with fake titles.
"The idea of MDDM was mooted out of a suggestion by the YB Home Minister to have a National all inclusive body with very strict membership rules and enhanced vetting to process to address this situation within Malaysia (sic)," MDDM wrote on their website under the About Us section.
MDDM president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz said the council's registration was approved by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) on May 4, 2021.
He said among the objectives of MDDM was to foster close ties between the recipients of legitimate honorifics in Malaysia.