Perhaps it is truly time for all of us to seriously study the issue of state and national awards and their awarding to so-called members of the public.

To select recipients for these awards, I would like to suggest that the government create a high-powered committee comprising Malaysians selected from all walks of life such as doctors, engineers, accountants, teachers, lecturers, senior citizens etc.

There should be two committees, namely a federal committee and a state committee. The federal committee would first vet all candidates for awards issued by the Yang Di Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers.

After vetting the candidates, the federal committee would then approve candidates for awards given by the Yang Di Pertuan Agong. This committee would then forward the list of vetted candidates to the respective state committee for approval or objection of candidates for awards from that particular state.

Proposed candidates must be subjected to vigorous scrutiny by the high-powered committee. Some of the criteria could be as follows:

his/her unique service to society.

how well the candidate has performed his job or occupation.

for outstanding achievements that made the country proud.

Before approving an award, the committee must satisfy itself that there is clear evidence of outstanding service If the candidate is a businessperson, then there must be evidence shown that his or her business service business has brought benefit and recognition to the country and its people. Of course, the proposed candidate, if a businessperson, must also be of exemplary character.

Awards to civil servants should be based on service beyond the normal call of duty - not for service which is to be expected for the salaries provided and the pensions granted.

I would also proposed that honorific titles have a certain time period for an individual to hold them. For example, a person can only hold a Datuk title for 10 years, after which he would have to be vetted again by the committee mentioned above.

This would help ensure that the title-holder continues his service to society, maintains his standing in society and doesn't take the title for granted. On account of the stringent evaluation of candidates for honorific titles, I recommend that their awarding be accompanied by a small honorarium payable by the government on a monthly basis.

This makes the title more attractive and meaningful and will be appreciated more by the recipient. I would also suggest limitations to the number of titles issued each year along the lines of 10 for the 'Datuk' title, four for 'Tan Sri' and two for 'Dato Seri' at the national level

At the state level, I would suggest six for the 'Datuk' title and one for the 'Dato Seri' title.

There also should be no duplicity of awards. An individual cannot be considered for a Datuk award if he is already holding that title from another state. However, an individual can hold one title by the Yang Di Pertuan Agung and a similar one from one Malay Ruler.

The above steps would ensure that honorific titles are meritoriously awarded and well respected by the public. It should not be that a title can be bought on the market, a situation which brings embarrassment to all.

I know of some people who seem to be walking around with a title for no apparent reason or purpose. Such title holders appear to be more like clowns and jokers. We already know of some criminals.