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22nd March 2023. Colette Hassan introduced the MCG group to a thorough but complicated subject “What’s in a Name”. She herself has worked 30 years for the French and Swiss embassies.
Her presentations consisted of three parts, firstly “Names of Civilians and Royalty”. Secondly, “Honorifics” used for Royalty , Governors, MPs, non-MPs and the Judiciary. Thirdly, “Titles and Awards” such as Tun, Tan Sri and Dato’/Datuk. How we address Malaysian individuals is to be dealt with caution. For each Malaysian be it Malay, Indian or Chinese, a name is of the utmost importance and is chosen with great care. Malaysian women keep the name that they were born with.
NAMES
Components of Malay names (male/female): Bin/Binti meaning Son/Daughter of Wan, Nik, Megat/Puteri indicating Royal blood on the maternal side Syed/Sharifah indicating that they are descendants of Prophet Mohamed PBUH. Haji/Hajjah indicating the completion of the Haj pilgrimage Indian names, ie Hindu names: a/l means son of, a/p means daughter of As these names are rather long, it is customary to abbreviate them by simply placing the initial of the father’s name in front of the given name, ex: Rajagopal a/l Subramaniam become S. Rajagopal Sikh names: Given name followed by Singh for a man and by Kaur for a woman. Many clan names are also added such as Gill, Dhillon, Sidhu, etc. Chinese names: The first name is the family name, the second is often the generational name and the third is the person’s actual name. A Western name may also be chosen which will be placed in front of it all. From the colonial era Portuguese and Dutch first names and surnames are still being used by the families of Portuguese and Dutch origin. Indigenous people Anak (abbreviated “ak”) meaning “child of” is used by the indigenous people of Sabah, Sarawak and the Peninsula.
In front of a person’s name, we find his/her Professional Title. These titles may be used once approved by the respective professional bodies. A (Dr) in brackets indicates an Honorary Degree.
The King and Royal Houses
The king is selected from the 9 Royal Houses for a term of 5 years. He is considered the paramount ruler at the federal level. With the exception of Perlis (Raja) and Negeri Sembilan (Yang di-Pertuan Besar) the rulers are called Sultans. However, the designation of the Princes/Princesses vary greatly. Negeri Sembilan and Kedah use the term “Tunku”. Johor uses Tunku and Ungku. Selangor, Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan use “Tengku”. Perlis uses Syed/Sharifah … Jamalullail. Perak uses Raja. Former British Administrative territories Penang, Malacca, Sabah, Sarawak are ruled by Governors. The Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan) are administered by the Prime Minister’s Department
HONORIFICS
KDYMM is used for the King and DYMM for the Rulers YAM is used for the children of a Ruler, past or present. YM is for all other princes and princesses. HE (His Excellency or TYT Tuan Yang Terutama) for the Governors YAB (Yang Amat Berhormat = The Right Honourable) for Prime Minister and his Deputies. And also for the 9 State Menteri Besar. YB (Yang Berhormat = The Honourable) for all Members of Parliament, Senators, and Members of the State Legislative Assemblies YBhg (Yang Berbahagia) used for all other titled persons. YAA (Yang Amat Arif) and YA (Yang Arif) for the Judiciary
TITLES AND AWARDS
A title or award is bestowed upon people who assisted or contributed services to King, Nation or Community. Tun is the highest title conferred only by the King. Wife is called Toh Puan. Tan Sri is the second highest title conferred only by the King. Wife is called Puan Sri. Dato’/Datuk is conferred by 15 instances, ie the King, the 9 Rulers, the 4 non-royal states and the Federal Territory. Dato’ (old spelling) is used by the 9 Rulers. The others use Datuk. Dato’ dates back to the 1800’s and was first awarded by the state of Johor. Federal awards started one year after Independence in 1958 and Federal territory awards in 2008 (given by the King). There are many subdivisions of the awards carrying derivatives of Dato’/Datuk, for example Dato’ Seri, Dato’ Utama, Dato’ Setia, etc. The wife of a Dato’/Datuk is called Datin. In Terengganu the wife of a Dato’ is called Tok/To’ Puan. A woman can be made a Tun/Tan Sri/Datuk/Dato’. However, her husband has no associated title.
SUMMARY
Colette Hassan presented a wonderful commentary and, for the members of the audience needing further information, she listed useful contacts: The titled persons’ Personal Assistants Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Protocol Division Protocol Officers in the relevant State Administrations
References : Malaysian Protocol and Correct Forms of Address, by Datuk Abdullah Ali, Ed Times Books Int’l Malaysian Customs and Etiquette, A practical guide, by Datuk Paduka Noor Aini Datuk Abdullah, Ed. Marshall Cavendish Int’l (Asia) The Rulers of Malaysia, Vol. 16, The Encyclopaedia of Malaysia, Ed. Didier Millet
Review by Hilda Vandermeulen & Colette Hassan
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