Pingat Jasa Malaysia
Encyclopedia
The Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) is a medal given by the King and Government of Malaysia. The name translates into English as the "Malaysian Service Medal". It was created in 2004 and is awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces who served in Malaysia during the Malayan Emergency
and the Malaysian-Indonesian Confrontation periods. The award is in recognition of their "distinguished chivalry, gallantry, sacrifice, or loyalty" in contributing to the freedom of independence of Malaysia. The medal can be conferred and accepted posthumously by next of kin.
The ribbon is a 35 mm corded ribbon and has five coloured vertical stripes. The colours are of those of the Malaysian flag. The individual colours and widths of the five vertical stripes are as follows: 4.5 mm yellow, 7 mm blue, 12 mm red, 7 mm blue and 4.5 mm yellow.
No clasps or bars were issued for this medal.
between 31 August 1957 and 9 August 1965.
Awards will also be made to those whose service was cut short as a result of death or injury as a result of service in these areas.
The start date for the medal is 31 August 1957 as this is the date of Malaysia's independence. The cut-off date for service in Singapore is shorter as the country separated from the Federation of Malaysia on 9 August 1965.
On 30 January 2006, the Malaysian Chief of Defence Force, Admiral Tan Sri Dato' Sri Mohd Anwar bin Hj Mohd Nor attended Government House, Canberra
to present the initial awards of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia.
As a sign of goodwill, Admiral Tan Sri Dato' Sri Mohd Anwar bin Hj Mohd Nor presented the initial medals to the Governor-General
, Major General Michael Jeffery
, and to veterans across a range of ranks and Services who served in the Malayan Emergency
and the Confrontation. The medal was also posthumously awarded to two veterans and presented to their next of kin. Visiting Malaysian Defence dignitaries were present at the award ceremony, accompanied by Chief of the Defence Force
Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston
and invited guests of the medal recipients.
Distribution to remaining eligible recipients will be through the Directorate of Honours and Awards from within the Department of Defence, acting as agent on behalf of the Malaysian Government. This process is expected to commence in the near future.
who served as part of the New Zealand
military contribution to Malaysia to accept and wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia without restriction was submitted to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
in July 2005. The submission was approved on 7 September 2005.
As the Pingat Jasa Malaysia is a foreign award, Headquarters New Zealand Defence Force
acts as the agent for the Government of Malaysia in administering some aspects of the award.
The initial presentations of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia took place at the High Commission of Malaysia in Wellington
on 31 March 2006. On 27 June 2006, Defence Minister Phil Goff
announced that the general distribution by courier of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia will begin shortly. To date, over 2,600 applications for the Pingat Jasa Malaysia have been received and vetted by the New Zealand Defence Force
.
to seek approval to present the Pingat Jasa Malaysia. The British Government, however, announced in the House of Lords
that they would refuse the Malaysian medal for British citizens on the basis that the award was contrary to British Medals Policy. The policy states that non-British medals will not be approved for events or service that took place more than 5 years before initial consideration, or in connection with events that took place in the distant past (e.g., commemorative medals); or if the recipient has received a British award for the same service.
Intensive lobbying then commenced to try and reverse that decision. After a few months, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
announced that it had submitted a paper to the Committee on the Grants of Honours, Decorations and Medals requesting the Committee to review their policy in respect of foreign awards and the Pingat Jasa Malaysia. The Committee met on 7 December 2005 to carry out the review, but their recommendation was not announced until a written Ministerial Statement was made in the House of Commons
on 31 January 2006.
The Committee's recommendation was that British citizens could accept the medal but they would not be allowed to wear it. The Ministerial Statement on 31 January 2006 states that the recommendation, which the Queen has approved, stipulates that "Permission to wear the PJM will not, however, formally be given". British ex-servicemen and women are still campaigning against this decision, believing that to deny them the right to wear the medal when the same right has been granted to other Commonwealth veterans is unjust and inappropriate.
The initial presentations of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia took at the Malaysian High Commission in London
on 19 July 2006. The medal was presented to 34 ex-servicemen and women by the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
. A second ceremony for another 74 former servicemen who will receive the same medal will be held in Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia.
To date, the decision not to allow the medal to be worn still stands. (But cannot be enforced in law as the decision is flawed!)
However, throughout 2006 intensive lobbying by veterans began once again on http://www.fight4thepjm.org/forum/index.php which has re-awakened parliament once more, and Don Touhig MP (Former Veterans Minister) began the following Early Day Motion. PINJAT JASA MALAYSIA MEDAL29.11.2006
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31979&SESSION=885
Touhig, Don
'That this House welcomes the decision by Her Majesty The Queen to allow veterans of the Malaysian campaign between 1957 and 1966 to accept the Pinjat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) Medal; is concerned that the Inter-Departmental Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals decided to advise Her Majesty not to grant permission for Malaysian veterans to wear the PJM on public occasions; and calls upon the Government to make representations to the Committee to overturn this decision.'
A second EDM by Michael Mates MP began the very next day 30.11.2006
375 PINGAT JASA MALAYSIA MEDAL 30:11:06
'That this House applauds the generous gesture by the King and Government of Malaysia in the award of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal to British citizens for service in the Malayan Emergency; notes that Her Majesty The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the recommendation of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals that British citizens may accept the award; is, however, surprised that the Committee did not recommend that British citizens receiving the award should also be able to wear it; is deeply embarrassed that the Australian and New Zealand veterans of the Emergency may both receive and wear the medal; invites the Committee to reconsider the matter, bearing in mind the diminishing number of those who gave valuable service between 31 August 1950 and 12 August 1966; believes that this is a pre-eminent case for an exception to the long-standing Government policy enunciated in the written Ministerial Statement of 31 January 2006; and urges Her Majesty's Ministers to ensure that a further recommendation is made to Her Majesty, but this time one which takes full account of the generosity of a fellow Commonwealth country, the merits of the case, and the deep sense of hurt felt by British veterans, rather than being based upon a slavish observance of precedent.'
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmedm/61130e01.htm
10th October 2011 - The Fight4thePJM campaign for the PJM wins a vote in the House of Lords, defeating the British Government in the process. A Lords Amendment to the Armed Forces Bill calls for the PJM to receive the right to be worn on all occasions.
26th October 2011 - Fight4thePJM's campaign for the right to wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia was eventually successful when, on the 26 October 2011, the British Parliament accepted that their case was a just one and agreed to advise the Honours and Decorations Committee to recommend to The Queen that the medal should receive Her approval to be worn all occasions - such approval was granted on the 3rd November 2011.
Reference: http://www.fight4thepjm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=20127#20127
3rd November 2011 - The Queen approves the recommendation that the PJM be granted Unrestricted Approval for wear on all occasions.
After 61/2 years, the Fight 4 the Right is over.
Reference: http://www.fight4thePJM.org
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces who served in Malaysia during the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
and the Malaysian-Indonesian Confrontation periods. The award is in recognition of their "distinguished chivalry, gallantry, sacrifice, or loyalty" in contributing to the freedom of independence of Malaysia. The medal can be conferred and accepted posthumously by next of kin.
Appearance
The obverse of the medal shows the crest of Malaysia with the inscription 'JASA MALAYSIA' beneath it. The reverse shows a map of Malaysia and the initials 'P.J.M' underneath.The ribbon is a 35 mm corded ribbon and has five coloured vertical stripes. The colours are of those of the Malaysian flag. The individual colours and widths of the five vertical stripes are as follows: 4.5 mm yellow, 7 mm blue, 12 mm red, 7 mm blue and 4.5 mm yellow.
No clasps or bars were issued for this medal.
Criteria
The Pingat Jasa Malaysia is awarded to British and Commonwealth forces (including Gurkhas) who served in Malaysia for at least 90 days, between 31 August 1957 and 31 December 1966 (the end date has been extended by the Government of Malaysia from the official end of the Confrontation on 12 August 1966, to include a ‘cooling off period’), as well as to those who served in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
between 31 August 1957 and 9 August 1965.
Awards will also be made to those whose service was cut short as a result of death or injury as a result of service in these areas.
The start date for the medal is 31 August 1957 as this is the date of Malaysia's independence. The cut-off date for service in Singapore is shorter as the country separated from the Federation of Malaysia on 9 August 1965.
Australia
The Australian government has accepted the offer of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia and to date, over 6,000 applications have since been verified by Department of Defence out of about 12,000 former and current serving members believed to be eligible. The Department of Defence, acting as agent on behalf of the Government of Malaysia, receives applications and verifies the service and eligibility to wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia in accordance with guidelines for foreign awards.On 30 January 2006, the Malaysian Chief of Defence Force, Admiral Tan Sri Dato' Sri Mohd Anwar bin Hj Mohd Nor attended Government House, Canberra
Government House, Canberra
Government House, Canberra, commonly known as Yarralumla, is the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia. It is located in the suburb of Yarralumla, in the City of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory....
to present the initial awards of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia.
As a sign of goodwill, Admiral Tan Sri Dato' Sri Mohd Anwar bin Hj Mohd Nor presented the initial medals to the Governor-General
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
, Major General Michael Jeffery
Michael Jeffery
Major General Philip Michael Jeffery AC, CVO, MC was the 24th Governor-General of Australia , the first Australian career soldier to be appointed governor-general...
, and to veterans across a range of ranks and Services who served in the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
and the Confrontation. The medal was also posthumously awarded to two veterans and presented to their next of kin. Visiting Malaysian Defence dignitaries were present at the award ceremony, accompanied by Chief of the Defence Force
Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)
Chief of the Defence Force is the most senior appointment in the Australian Defence Force . The CDF commands the ADF under the direction of the Minister of Defence, in a coequal arrangement with the Secretary of Defence, the most senior public servant in the Department of Defence.The position is a...
Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston
Angus Houston
Air Chief Marshal Allan Grant "Angus" Houston AC, AFC is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force and was the Chief of the Defence Force from 4 July 2005 until his retirement on 3 July 2011...
and invited guests of the medal recipients.
Distribution to remaining eligible recipients will be through the Directorate of Honours and Awards from within the Department of Defence, acting as agent on behalf of the Malaysian Government. This process is expected to commence in the near future.
New Zealand
Approval for the right of eligible New ZealandersNew Zealanders
New Zealanders, colloquially known as Kiwis, are citizens of New Zealand. New Zealand is a multiethnic society, and home to people of many different national origins...
who served as part of the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
military contribution to Malaysia to accept and wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia without restriction was submitted to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
in July 2005. The submission was approved on 7 September 2005.
As the Pingat Jasa Malaysia is a foreign award, Headquarters New Zealand Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
The New Zealand Defence Force consists of three services: the Royal New Zealand Navy; the New Zealand Army; and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Commander-in-Chief of the NZDF is His Excellency Rt. Hon...
acts as the agent for the Government of Malaysia in administering some aspects of the award.
The initial presentations of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia took place at the High Commission of Malaysia in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
on 31 March 2006. On 27 June 2006, Defence Minister Phil Goff
Phil Goff
Philip Bruce Goff is the current Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. During the Fifth Labour Government, he served in a number of ministerial portfolios, including Minister of Defence of New Zealand, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Foreign Affairs and...
announced that the general distribution by courier of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia will begin shortly. To date, over 2,600 applications for the Pingat Jasa Malaysia have been received and vetted by the New Zealand Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
The New Zealand Defence Force consists of three services: the Royal New Zealand Navy; the New Zealand Army; and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Commander-in-Chief of the NZDF is His Excellency Rt. Hon...
.
United Kingdom
In 2005, the Malaysian Government approached the Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
to seek approval to present the Pingat Jasa Malaysia. The British Government, however, announced in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
that they would refuse the Malaysian medal for British citizens on the basis that the award was contrary to British Medals Policy. The policy states that non-British medals will not be approved for events or service that took place more than 5 years before initial consideration, or in connection with events that took place in the distant past (e.g., commemorative medals); or if the recipient has received a British award for the same service.
Intensive lobbying then commenced to try and reverse that decision. After a few months, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
announced that it had submitted a paper to the Committee on the Grants of Honours, Decorations and Medals requesting the Committee to review their policy in respect of foreign awards and the Pingat Jasa Malaysia. The Committee met on 7 December 2005 to carry out the review, but their recommendation was not announced until a written Ministerial Statement was made in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
on 31 January 2006.
The Committee's recommendation was that British citizens could accept the medal but they would not be allowed to wear it. The Ministerial Statement on 31 January 2006 states that the recommendation, which the Queen has approved, stipulates that "Permission to wear the PJM will not, however, formally be given". British ex-servicemen and women are still campaigning against this decision, believing that to deny them the right to wear the medal when the same right has been granted to other Commonwealth veterans is unjust and inappropriate.
The initial presentations of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia took at the Malaysian High Commission in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 19 July 2006. The medal was presented to 34 ex-servicemen and women by the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Najib Tun Razak
Dato' Sri Haji Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak is the sixth, and since 2009, Prime Minister of Malaysia. He previously held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from 7 January 2004 until he succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister on 3 April 2009. Najib is President of the United...
. A second ceremony for another 74 former servicemen who will receive the same medal will be held in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia.
To date, the decision not to allow the medal to be worn still stands. (But cannot be enforced in law as the decision is flawed!)
However, throughout 2006 intensive lobbying by veterans began once again on http://www.fight4thepjm.org/forum/index.php which has re-awakened parliament once more, and Don Touhig MP (Former Veterans Minister) began the following Early Day Motion. PINJAT JASA MALAYSIA MEDAL29.11.2006
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31979&SESSION=885
Touhig, Don
'That this House welcomes the decision by Her Majesty The Queen to allow veterans of the Malaysian campaign between 1957 and 1966 to accept the Pinjat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) Medal; is concerned that the Inter-Departmental Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals decided to advise Her Majesty not to grant permission for Malaysian veterans to wear the PJM on public occasions; and calls upon the Government to make representations to the Committee to overturn this decision.'
A second EDM by Michael Mates MP began the very next day 30.11.2006
375 PINGAT JASA MALAYSIA MEDAL 30:11:06
'That this House applauds the generous gesture by the King and Government of Malaysia in the award of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal to British citizens for service in the Malayan Emergency; notes that Her Majesty The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the recommendation of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals that British citizens may accept the award; is, however, surprised that the Committee did not recommend that British citizens receiving the award should also be able to wear it; is deeply embarrassed that the Australian and New Zealand veterans of the Emergency may both receive and wear the medal; invites the Committee to reconsider the matter, bearing in mind the diminishing number of those who gave valuable service between 31 August 1950 and 12 August 1966; believes that this is a pre-eminent case for an exception to the long-standing Government policy enunciated in the written Ministerial Statement of 31 January 2006; and urges Her Majesty's Ministers to ensure that a further recommendation is made to Her Majesty, but this time one which takes full account of the generosity of a fellow Commonwealth country, the merits of the case, and the deep sense of hurt felt by British veterans, rather than being based upon a slavish observance of precedent.'
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmedm/61130e01.htm
The campaign by British Veterans for the right to wear the PJM
Readers should refer to the Fight4thePJM's website at http://www.fight4thePJM.org for update's to the current legal standing of wearing this medal. also the MAY 1968 publication of the London Gazette in which HM authorises to wear this type of award for all UK civilians.10th October 2011 - The Fight4thePJM campaign for the PJM wins a vote in the House of Lords, defeating the British Government in the process. A Lords Amendment to the Armed Forces Bill calls for the PJM to receive the right to be worn on all occasions.
26th October 2011 - Fight4thePJM's campaign for the right to wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia was eventually successful when, on the 26 October 2011, the British Parliament accepted that their case was a just one and agreed to advise the Honours and Decorations Committee to recommend to The Queen that the medal should receive Her approval to be worn all occasions - such approval was granted on the 3rd November 2011.
Reference: http://www.fight4thepjm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=20127#20127
3rd November 2011 - The Queen approves the recommendation that the PJM be granted Unrestricted Approval for wear on all occasions.
After 61/2 years, the Fight 4 the Right is over.
Reference: http://www.fight4thePJM.org
Notable recipients
- Major General Michael JefferyMichael JefferyMajor General Philip Michael Jeffery AC, CVO, MC was the 24th Governor-General of Australia , the first Australian career soldier to be appointed governor-general...
: 24th Governor-General of AustraliaGovernor-General of AustraliaThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth... - Field Marshal Lord BramallEdwin Bramall, Baron BramallField Marshal Edwin Noel Westby Bramall, Baron Bramall KG, GCB, OBE, MC, DL, JP is a British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1979 and 1982, and as Chief of the Defence Staff, professional head of the British Armed Forces,...
: former Chief of Defence StaffChief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the British Armed Forces, a senior official within the Ministry of Defence, and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister... - Brigadier Sir Miles Hunt-DaviesMiles Hunt-DavisBrigadier Sir Miles Garth Hunt-Davis, GCVO, CBE was the Private Secretary to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh until 2010.He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and educated at St Andrew's College, South Africa....
: Prince Philip's private secretary - General Sir Garry JohnsonGarry JohnsonGeneral Sir Garry Dene Johnson KCB OBE MC was Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe.-Military career:Garry Johnson was commissioned into the 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles in 1956. He served in Malaysia during the Malaysian Emergency...
former Colonel of the 10th Gurkha Rifles Regiment. - General Sir Jeremy MackenzieJeremy MackenzieGeneral Sir John Jeremy Mackenzie GCB, OBE, DL is a former British Army General who became Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.-Military career:...
former Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea - Brigadier Allan Alstead CBE, DL Former Commanding Officer 1st Battalion KOSB to Brigadier Coutts
- Major General Corran Purdon General Officer Commanding Near East Land Forces 1974-1976
- General David John Ramsbotham, Baron Ramsbotham GCB CBE, Adjutant-General to the Forces 1991-1993
- John Jacob Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever, DL Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Government Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence 2010-
- The Rt Hon the Viscount Slim OBE DL FRGS- Former Commanding Officer of 22 SAS & Member of The House of Lords
- Keith Payne VC
External links
- Ministerial Release - Malaysian Government to Honour Australian Service
- New Zealanders in line for Malaysian military medal
- Fight for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia - campaign by British ex-servicemen and women for the right to wear the PJM
- Borneo vets fight to wear medal
- Malaysia honours British veterans
- Directgov.gov.uk: Newsroom: Decision on Pingat Jasa Malaysia (12 March 2007)
- Commons Hansard: Written Ministerial Statements (Tuesday 31 January 2006): Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: Pingat Jasa Malaysia