John Cooper wrote:
Do you know if you were to try to explain Gerry's piece to 6th Formers at school, those pupils would look at the guest speaker as if they were nuts. It is just inconceivable that a bunch of unelected CRETINS can walk the corridors of power making up their own rules and regulations without being answerable to anyone! 
Welcome 'home' John.
Oddly, I did (almost) exactly that yesterday ... when I set out our case in a presentation to students and adult non-students at a well known British University.
I could see antipathy in the audience as I started my presentation ... another old fart wanting to spruce up his worthless life by wearing a silly gong on his jammies. Worse still, they saw me as an ex-soldier wanting to extol the virtues and rewards of war. They said so when I stopped my presentation and asked them why their eyes had glazed over!
I then stepped through the case.
* I opened up by explaining that we did not invade Malaysia either under a legal Declaration of War on anyone nor under the specious and potentially illegal guise of a well-spun set of not universally accepted UN resolutions. We became involved only after Malaysia asked for our assistance to help them against those who wished to destroy their newly independent sovereign country.
* I illustrated through my own experience in the Intelligence Corps why it took nine years to protect the liberty of a newly independent and predominantly Muslim country.
* I explained that we achieved the result by working with the Malaysian people and by demonstrating that using force per se was not the way to win. Indeed, force was only ever used in protecting life - never as a campaign tactic.
* I explained that it took more courage to fight terrorism that way - more courage by the Malaysians, more courage by their Commonwealth friends who were helping them out.
* I explained that’s why it took so long.
* I explained that that is why we are well miffed that we are now being told that the campaign wasn’t bloodthirsty enough to warrant wearing a medal- they just did not believe me when I said that … until I showed them the letter.
I then proceeded to set out the other objections and our rebuttal of them.
They were stunned when I explained how the gracious offer by the King, Government and People of Malaysia had been treated with utter contempt by the British (I compared this with the enlightened approach of the Australian and New Zealand Governments) and had reduced the medal to a status below that of a bought trinket.
They were appalled at the confusion and spin and lies that an Imperial Honours System meeting in secrecy had to employ to deny us our rights and to discriminate against the rest of the Commonwealth - implying that they were second class citizens because they were wearing an award that compromised the Imperial Honours System and ‘previous awards’.
I can assure readers of this web site that when you talk to ordinary people they are flabbergasted at what is happening. The shameful mean-minded attitude of the British Government will not be forgotten.
Each member of my audience has a vote … they gave us their 'unrestricted' support.
Barry
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BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia
HI, I THINK YOUR QUESTION IS IN YOUR LETTER, WHERE DID OVER £500,000, POUNDS DONATED BY AWARD PRODUCTIONS END UP? SO THEIR PRODUCTS ARE OKAY TO WEAR,THE MOD AS RECENT AS LAST MONTH THEN IT APPEARS ;ARE INFORMING THE R.B.L.OF THE STATUS, (OR LACK OF, IN PJM CASE).IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE TO ANYONE, THAT THE MOD, ARE BEING MORE POSITIVE ABOUT BEING NEGATIVE,JUST WHAT IS THE ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE MOD, AWARD PRODUCTIONS, THE R.B.L. AND THE HD C'TMEE? AN EXTENSION OF CASH FOR HONOURS SEEMS LOGICAL, AS OUR HONOUR(PJM) IS FREE,BUT NOT ALLOWED TO BE WORN ON PARADES, AND RATHER THAN ADDRESS OUR ISSUE, THEY INFORM THE R.B.L. TO BOOT. WHAT IS THE VIEW THEN OF R.B. L. ON THE PURCHASE OF A "REPLICA" PJM FROM THIS COMPANY, IS THAT OKAY AS LONG AS THEIR PALM IS GREASED.DO THE R.B.L. IN CAHOOTS WITH AWARD BODS, ANTICIPATE PRODUCTION OF SUCH A MEDAL, OKAY TO WEAR PROVIDING YOU BUY IT,'THE RBL MALAYA AWARD', SORRY BUT I CAN'T SEE A DEMAND FOR IT, COULD BE A REASON FOR BEING MIFFED AT MALAYAN GOV FOR GRATITUOUS ISSUE OF SAME.HO HUM.OH IT'S QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY, AND YES THERE'S A GURT UNION FLAG FLYING IN MY GARDEN AND IT'S RIGHT WAY UP TOO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MA'AM.
Commorative medals are ok but why are we not allowed to wear a other awards (PJM) We earned ours . we should be allowed to wear it/ Some of us are still alive to be able to do so..some are not and I think we should be able to wear all medals .... IN REPECT to ALL those who failed to return from all WARS> GOD BLESS THEM
Thanks Barry A man after my own heart ( I`m not dropping out yet Mate still got fight in me to do what i have to Regards Ken