President of the Malaysian Islamic Chamber of Commerce Muhammad Ali Hashim yesterday announced that he had handed back three state medals to the Johor Council of Royal Court.

Muhammad Ali in a statement today, said the move was taken following the council's secretary Abdul Rahim Ramli's statement on Dec 5 in response to his (Muhammad Ali) article published in a local newspaper dated Dec 2.

The three state medals returned by Muhammad Ali were the Datuk Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor (SPMJ) medal, which he received on April 8, 1996, the Datuk Paduka Mahkota Johor (DPMJ) medal, which he received on April 8, 1984, and the Setia Mahkota Johor (SMJ) medal.

Both the SPMJ and the DPMJ medals carry the title 'Datuk'. Muhammad Ali said he had also written a letter to Abdul Rahim, dated Dec 18, to offer his explanation on the article, titled 'Menuntut Hak, Menebus Masa Silam', which Abdul Rahim claimed could create negative perception of the Johor royal institution.

"I strongly refute the allegation or perception that the poem (written by his youngest child, Khaled, who died on Nov 23) cited in the article contains any motives described in the statement," he added.

- Bernama