KUCHING: The Yang di-Pertua Negeri’s wife, Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Ragad Kurdi Taib, will be conferred the Seri Utama Mahkota Wilayah award, which carries the title ‘Datuk Seri Utama’ by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in conjunction with Federal Territory Day today.
Joining Ragad in being conferred the same award are Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, Penang Head of State Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas, Sabah Head of State Tun Juhar Mahiruddin and Melaka Head of State Tun Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam.
Meanwhile, three Sarawak leaders－Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin, Saratok MP Ali Biju and Limbang MP Hasbi Habibollah－will receive the Panglima Mahkota Wilayah, which carries the title of ‘Datuk’.
They are deputy ministers in the Perikatan Nasional federal government. Willie is Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister; Ali, Energy and Natural Resources Deputy Minister, while Hasbi is Transport Deputy Minister.
All four are among the 335 recipients of titles conferred by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah in the coming conferment of titles ceremony which has yet to have a fixed date in view of the Covid-19 situation in the country.
Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the honours list for this year’s Federal Territory Day included seven types of awards, ranging from the first to seventh ranks of honour.
These included Seri Utama Mahkota Wilayah, the Seri Mahkota Wilayah, the Panglima Mahkota Wilayah, the Johan Mahkota Wilayah, the Kesatria Mahkota Wilayah, the Ahli Mahkota Wilayah and the Pingat Pangkuan Mahkota Wilayah.
“Prior to the conferment ceremony, the recipients are permitted to bear the various titles before their names, with the wives of men conferred the first to third rank honours permitted to use Datin Seri Utama, Datin Seri and Datin respectively before their names,” he said in a statement recently.
On a separate note, Willie expressed gratitude for the award, which he believed was made possible by the support of people of Puncak Borneo.
“I humbly present this ‘Datuk’ title to all the people of Puncak Borneo parliamentary constituency for their endless support. Without you, my people, I won’t be where I am today.
“I also would like to take this opportunity to convey my utmost gratefulness to our beloved Yang Di-Pertuan Agong for this prestigious award and I am humbled by this noble award bestowed on me.
“As a son from a poor family that has gone through thick and thin in life, never would I have thought that I would be able to go this far to where I am today.
“To this, I am more dedicated and shall continue to work hard for my parliamentary to bring more development and economic growth. Puncak Borneo is my very own people, my home, whom I call family.”
