One upon a time, those who were bestowed state or royal awards were the cream of society who had contributed a lot to the state and nation. During those times, senior government servants who had contributed much to the development of the country and who had nearly reached retirement age normally got the awards.

But nowadays, even those who are unknown and below 30 years of age are already bestowed these honarary titles together with the perks and privileges that go with them.

The uproar and disquiet of the public on the indiscriminate bestowing of these awards on those who seem to have a dark side to their characters was further fuelled by the recent case of Melaka awarding a record number of 83 Datuk-ships.

Such moves seem to cheapen these awards. Surely the government, with the agreement of the state rulers, can come out with a guideline on the number of honorific titles they can award each year?

This is to maintain the decorum and quality of the recipients. There have been numerous cases of people both in the public and private sectors who have committed horrid crimes but have their names adorned with these titles. Such a situation, if allowed to continue, will only embarrass the ruler of the state which bestowed that particular title.