KUALA LUMPUR: The honours, medals or orders received by Malaysians from foreign countries without the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong are not valid and not recognised for use within the country, said Council of Datuk Dato' Malaysia (MDDM) president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz.
He said a provision under the Offences Relating to Awards Act 2017 (Act 787), provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of up to RM500,000, depending on the seriousness of the offence committed.
"Only the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultans and Yang Dipertua Negeri are authorised to confer legitimate honours upon individuals," he told reporters.
He was commenting on the prevalence of title misuse issues after the charity golf tournament hosted by MDDM at Bukit Kiara, here today.
Awalan said he hoped that all states would adopt Act 787 to curb the problem, adding that the act, gazetted in 2018, is not comprehensively enforced as there are still states that have not adopted or established similar enactments. – BERNAMA