Selangor titles of Najib and Rosmah suspended
KLANG: Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has ordered a suspension of state titles awarded to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
The suspension, which took effect on May 6, would remain pending the outcome of the criminal charges against the couple, said Selangor state secretary Datuk Mohd Amin Ahmad Ahya.
Najib was conferred the Keahlian Darjah Kebesaran Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor (SPMS) First Class, which carries the title Datuk Seri in 2004 and the Darjah Kebesaran Dato’ Paduka Mahkota Selangor (DPMS) Second Class, which comes with the title Datuk, in 1992.
Rosmah received the Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor (SPMS) First Class, which carries the title Datin Paduka Seri, in 2005.
However, the couple will still be addressed as Datuk Seri and Datin Seri as they have similar titles awarded to them from other states.
In a statement yesterday, Mohd Amin said the suspension came about following the graft, criminal breach of trust and money laundering charges against Najib and Rosmah.
Rosmah also faced a case involving the Inland Revenue Department.
“The suspension is in line with His Majesty’s powers under the Selangor State Constitution 1959,” he said, adding that the Ruler ordered the suspension after a discussion on the matter with the Selangor Royal Council.
In October last year, the Negri Sembilan palace revoked Najib’s Darjah Seri Utama Negeri Sembilan, which comes with the title Datuk Seri, conferred on him in 2005, while Rosmah lost her Darjah Seri Paduka Tuanku Jaafar Yang Amat Terpuji, bestowed in 2006.
The Sultan of Selangor has also revoked the Keahlian Darjah Kebesaran Dato’ – Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (DSIS) title that was conferred on former NGV Tech Sdn Bhd executive chairman and director Zulkifli Shariff in 2010.
Yesterday’s statement said Zulkifli was no longer deemed deserving of the title, as he had been declared a bankrupt.
The Selangor palace is known to be strict about the conduct and reputation of people bestowed state awards, especially those that come with titles.
In 2015, former Selangor mentri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo’s Datuk Seri title, which came with Darjah Kebesaran Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor (SPMS) First Class award bestowed upon him by the Sultan, was also revoked after he was found guilty of corruption.
Then in 2014, Sultan Sharafuddin revoked the Seri Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah award, which carried the title Datuk Seri, conferred on PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1992 when he was then deputy prime minister.
According to the statement then, Anwar was stripped of the award for “repeatedly questioning the integrity of the Sultan in dealing with the Selangor mentri besar crisis, and also questioning other issues pertaining to Islam”.
The Selangor mentri besar crisis followed the infamous Kajang Move which saw Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim ousted and replaced by Datuk Seri Azmin Ali as mentri besar.