The Prime Minister’s office announced on Thursday (May 5) that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mdm Ho Ching would be visiting Johor the following day to be honoured by the Sultan of Johor. The ceremony will be held at the Istana Besar in Johor Bahru.
DYMM Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar is conferring upon PM Lee the First Class, Grand Commander of the Order, Dato’ Sri Paduka Mahkota Johor (SPMJ – Order of the Crown of Johor), and Mdm Ho is to receive the First Class, Grand Commander of the Order, Dato’ Sri Mulia Sultan Ibrahim Johor (SMIJ – Order of Sultan Ibrahim of Johor).
The honour PM Lee will receive is the highest honour in Johor. As for Mdm Ho, she is the first Singaporean recipient of the SMIJ.
An official brunch with members of the Johor Royal Family and the Royal Court, among others, was scheduled to follow the ceremony.
Accompanying PM Lee and Mdm Ho are Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, and various other officials.
Singapore’s former Prime Ministers, Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong, as well as former Singapore Law Minister E W Barker, received the same honour conferred upon PM Lee today.
The PMO noted that “Ordinary Members of the Order are invited from among Malays professing the religion of Islam and subjects of the Ruler and who have exhibited loyalty, virtues, and talents and have rendered invaluable service to the Sultan and state. Malays from other states, and other races whether subjects of the Ruler or otherwise and who meet the criteria may be invited as honorary members.”
“A gentleman Member of the First Class of the Order is titled Dato’ with the prefix ‘Yang Berhormat’ (His Excellency). The wife of the Member is styled as Datin but not addressed by her maiden name but by the husband’s name, e.g. Datin (name of husband).
A lady Member of the Order is titled Datin Paduka, with the prefix ‘Yang Berhormat’ (Her Excellency). Her spouse does not carry a title,” PMO noted.
Congratulations from netizens to PM Lee and Mdm Ho have poured in.
Netizens wished as well for good relations to continue between Singapore and Malaysia.
One commenter, however, expressed the hope that “some of best senior opposition leader(s) in Malaysia” would be honoured as well.
/TISG
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