Splitting a Dato from a Datuk, Malaysian Names & Titles A Review on Colette Hassan's Lecture to MCG on Wednesday, 8th May 2019
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Colette Hassan, born and educated in Switzerland, has lived in Malaysia since 1970 and is a long-standing MCG member. Her fascination for this subject started whilst working, for approximately 30 years, at the French and Swiss Embassies. She also studied the Malay language at the University of Malaya.
It was explained that the talk would be from a European viewpoint using a Name Card as a means to read and understand a person’s name, titles and awards and would be divided into three parts. 1. Names of civilians and royalty. 2. Looking at Honorifics at Royalty and Federal Level, State Level and the Judiciary; and 3. Titles and Awards.
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A person’s name was very important in Malaysia with different ethnic groups using different means to find the best name. Colette also explained that Malaysian women keep the name they were born with until they die, even after marrying.
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Names and titles and forms of address, both formal and verbal, for the nine Royal Houses were looked at next. It was explained that the Paramount Ruler - Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (King) is selected from the nine royal houses for a period of five years. We learnt that with the exception of Perlis and Negri-Sembilan the rulers are called Sultan. The ruler of Perlis is called Raja and that of Negri Sembilan Yang di-Pertuan Besar. Prince and Princesses in Kelantan, Pahang, Selangor and Terengganu are called Tengku. In Johor, Negri Sembilan and Kedah they are called Tunku; and in Perak Raja. In Perlis a Prince is called Syed ….Jamallulail, a Princess Sharifah … Jamallulail.
Colette continued by explaining the meaning of His Majesty the King’s names (titles) and that of the Queen and the ways to address them formally and verbally. The King’s full title is:
She also explained that there was also a royal language for certain words. Ibni means the same as bin. Al-Marhum means the late. Al-Haj is the same as Haj. She also explained that Mulia means noble.
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The second section of the talk looked at Honorifics, put in front of a person’s ‘Given’ and family names. Colette explained that these must be used when writing a letter, when making a speech and also on Place and Name cards.
We next looked at the Honorifics for elected members. At Federal Level, the King is at the head with the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers serving under him. The State Governments followed a similar structure with a Ruler as head. The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have the following in front of the their official titles and names:
For titled Civil servants the following honorifics are used in front of their official titles and names:
There are 4 states, Malacca, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, former British Territories, who have no royalty and have inherited British structures. The head of these states is a Governor/Yang Di Pertua Negri. The honorifics used for a Governor are H.E. (His Excellency) and TYT (Tuan Yang Terutama).
Finally we looked briefly at the Honorifics used for the Judiciary as follows:
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The third part of Colette’s talk looked at Titles and Awards. She explained that the title of “Dato/Datuk” dated back to the 1860s when it was first awarded by the State of Johor. She explained that Dato/Datuk means grandfather and in Malaysian culture elders command respect. Federal awards started one year after Independence in 1958 and Federal Territory Awards in 2008, and are given by the King. Ceremonies and awards happen 15 times a year on the King and Sultans’ birthdays. A Sultan can create new awards on his birthday or anniversaries. Titles and Awards are given for having rendered significant services to the King, nation or community.
The highest title,”Tun” is conferred by the King. A woman’s title is Toh Puan. There are two awards SMN - Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara (The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm) and SSM - Seri Setia Mahkota (The Most Esteemed Order of the Crown of Malaysia) of which 25 are awarded of each. The honorific YABhg is used with the title.
The next highest title “Tan Sri” is also conferred by the King. A woman’s title is Puan Sri. Again there are two awards PMN - Panglima Mangku Negara (Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm) of which 75 are awarded and
PSM - Panglima Setia Mahkota (Commander of the Order of the Crown of Malaysia) of which 250 are awarded. The honorific YBhg is used with the title.
The titles of “Dato’/Datuk” can be given by the King, Rulers, Governors and Federal Territories. The honorific YBhg is used with this title. Colette explained that the spelling of Dato’ changed to Datuk in the 1970s when Malaysia and Indonesia introduced a common language. The nine royal states and Penang use Dato’ and Malacca, Sabah, Sarawak and Federal Territories use Datuk. The wife of someone given the title Datuk is called Datin. A woman who is given the title “Datuk” is called Datuk but her husband has no associate title. There is an exception in Selangor where the state wished women recipients to be called Datin and not Dato’. In Terengganu the wife of a ‘Dato’ is called Tok/To’ Puan. The honorific YBhg is used with the title.
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From Colette’s fascinating and illuminating talk we not only learnt about names, honorifics and titles in Malaysia we also learnt about its history and culture too. What an amazing journey we were taken on. As Colette said, we should test out how much we have learnt by reading Obituary and Announcement notices in newspapers. Collette has also provided us with the means to decipher what is written on Name Cards given to us in Malaysia and be able to gleam some knowledge about the person who has given it to us. To learn more about the subject Colette has provided a reading list below.
Further Reading Jane Duxbury |