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Our Legal Eagle's View is that You Can Wear it with Honour!
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Post Our Legal Eagle's View is that You Can Wear it with Honour! 
You do it. We do it. Four star officers do it (and they do it in the presence of royalty - as have we!).

Even the civil servants encourage us to do it.

But is it 'etiquette'?

Well, from us to you, here is the answer to that question:

Yes!

We have sought, and obtained an independent legal opinion from a lawyer who specialises in military matters. Here are some summary extracts:







To ensure that every reader, including those in Whitehall and Great Smith Street, can read this important information, it is currently stuck on the front door to the Fight4thePJM web site at http://www.fight4thepjm.org:


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BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia
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Post Re: Our Legal Eagle's View is that You Can Wear it with Hono 
The independent legal Opinion confirms your legal right, as an eligible recipient, to wear the PJM. Less formally, the Opinion also confirms that it is etiquette to wear the medal that you have been given permission to receive so long as you are eligible under the London Gazette Notice, i.e. not in Crown Service when the medal was conferred in January 2006. If anybody, e.g. a civil servant or parade marshal, endeavours to stop you wearing your PJM, or suggests that a rule exists that prevents you from legitimately wearing the medal without restriction, then they are almost certainly breaking the law.

But please note: This latest development, whilst reassuring in the sense that we now have an independent view that we are adopting correct etiquette and protocol by wearing the PJM, is not the end of the matter.

The civil servants have refused to acknowledge the demands of Parliament that they should amend the record that they created and that they administer. Until they do so, the stigma that they created still applies to your Malaysian medal. Only an official clarification from the Government will rectify the damage done by the flawed and incongruous 2006 Ministerial Statement. We have been promised (in writing) that that will one day happen. And we have also been promised that this situation will not be allowed to happen to other ordinary men and women.

Until those changes happen … the fight goes on.


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BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia
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Post Legal Opinion 
As our dear departed friend Jock Fenton would say - the liars have now been refuted by lawyers.

We are legally entitled to wear the PJM because we have a Royal Warrant under Royal Sign Manual published in the London Gazette of 3rd. May, 1968, and to withhold this right through lies, prevarication and obfuscation, is in breach of the integrity of the Honours system which the HD Committee admit they try to preserve.

Even an independent professional legal eagle of some renown who has no interest in the PJM states that the FCO are not legally entitled to make rules which they expect British private citizens to comply with.

The new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the FCO has stated in a recent letter that the advice of the HD Committee is not legally binding and the case of permission to wear the PJM relates to a matter of etiquette. But it is a legal matter. Breaching our democratic right to freedom of dress and privacy in our public lives, (and our human rights) ARE a matter of legal protection to citizens, and to try and weazle out of their incompetent decision to suggest that the PJM cannot be worn without taking into account the London Gazette Royal Warrant, shows that our parliament must take urgent consideration of this breach by an unelected, and in their own admission, non-parliamentary committee of civil servants, who have no authority whatsoever over private citizens.

So now we have a matter of etiquette. Is etiquette being breached by wearing a medal which has been approved by the Queen and authorised for unrestricted wear by Royal Warrant. No it isn't. It is only a committee of numpties who cannot, or will not, accept that they have been wrong right from the start and are only compounding their error with martian speak and trash.

The fight is not over until the PJM is recognised OFFICIALLY for unrestricted wear and our Parliament ensures that this shameful breach of citizens rights is never ever repeated by unofficial civil servants.

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Post Re: Legal Opinion 
mcdangle wrote:

We are legally entitled to wear the PJM because we have a Royal Warrant under Royal Sign Manual published in the London Gazette of 3rd. May, 1968,


The LG notice of 3rd May 1968 has not been rescinded. Though there are now attempts by senior civil servants of the Cabinet Office to say that it has been rescinded or overridden.

These senior civil servants are and have been clutching at straws.

A long time ago we told them the story about digging holes.

These discredited civil servants are still digging.


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Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka,
from the HD Committee and its decision.
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Post The PJM worn with honour! 
I thought you would like to see this August 2009 photograph of a medal bar. It isn't just any medal bar. It is a distinguished medal bar which belongs to a distinguished retired member of the Special Air Service. He is a Fight4thePJM supporter who must remain anonymous.

He fought in WW2 behind enemy lines. He fought in Malaya. He was very well known in the Regiment and would never do or say anything that contravened his integrity or that of the SAS. And so he wears his PJM with honour ... as we all should.




The civil servants who try to say they have stopped the PJM being worn will be very disappointed by this image. They have absolutely no idea what it took this man to earn those wings or the 11 medals on his bar.

So, our legal eagle states the statutory, this piccie reflects the salutary ... and they both tell us what we must do. Fight on ....

Barry


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BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia
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Can the Honours and Decorations Committee, very kindly direct us to the new London Gazette entry, under sign manual, which rescinds the previous entry. If they cannot, then the hole in their arguement, seems to have widened exponentialy.
It would appear that the straws that they are clutching at, are in fact, lead lifebelts.

Yours Aye

Arthur R-S

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I do not believe for one minute that the wearing of the PJM on medal bars, including mine, is a breach of etiquette.

The matter of etiquette arises from the rules imposed after it was accepted by HM vide the London Gazette of 3rd May 1968 which also permitted its wearing.

John F writes that they are trying to rescind the London Gazette. No way! I would hardly believe that they would risk the whole thing blowing up in their faces in asking Her Majesty, with the sign manual, to rescind the LG of 1968 and beg questions from her as to why it was necessary.

I was informed some time ago in a letter signed by Marion Moore, replying to my letter to the PM of the 12 July 2007, that "You may like to know that the statement in the [London] Gazette of 3 May 1968 was clarified in 1969 by a regulation on the merging of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that stated "these regulations do not relate to awards of campaign or commemorative war medals" . No reference as to the title or date of the "clarification" was given. Fair enough. It wasn't a war in either case *48 -60 or 63 - 66. The PJM is a Service to Malaysia Medal - it is neither a campaign medal or a war commemorative medal. It is not a matter of the choice of words . The meaning is quite plain. Whatever "clarification" she is talking about does not affect the status of the PJM.

I believe that we have been offered another review susequent to the Conservatives attaining power. Fine. But, I do not see a guarantee of change, therefore I shall believe it when it happens, hopefully after the review. Having said that I remain cheerfully optmistic.

Incidentally, remember that a number of families who's members died during these conflicts and who were not awarded the GSM with the appropriate bar, are disqualified from receiving the Elizabeth Cross through the actions of all the civil servants involved, in denying us the right to wear the PJM, to which the families of the fallen are entitled and which would entitle them to receive the Elizabeth Cross. Is this not a slight on HM by the HDC?

*this indicates the duration of the conflicts and not the dates of eligibility.

Regards,

David

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I have tried many times to get certain Senior Civil Servants inc Sir Gus (AKA GOD) to admit that the PJM is not a Campaign or a War Commemorative Medal, they never answer my letters or emails on this question.
BUT I do have an email from Tanya of the FCO stateing that it is up to the Malaysians to classify the PJM as it is their medal and that is good enough for me.

So if any suit writes to you stateing that the LG Notice does not apply to Campaign or War Commemorative Medals agree with them then tell them the FCO states that the PJM is a Service Medal.

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Where in the London Gazette entry, does it preclude, campaign medals, or, commemorative medals.

As with all directives, they must be clear, concise and unambiguous. In this case, it is abundantly clear.

Due due the lack of moral rectitude on behalf of the Civil Serpents, they can put any interpretation (spin) they like on it.

Like the law, making so many laws and in some cases conflicting laws, it then becomes difficult to establish which law to apply.

Take the case of all males, having to fire five arrows from their longbows on the village green, on Sunday. It's still on the statute books as a law, but we would more than likely be arrested for carrying and discharging a weapon in a public place.

The law makers really have excelled themselves with this one. On an interesting note, who were we actually serving, Great Britain PLC, or Malaysia. You cannot serve two masters at once, as the saying goes. Otherwise, complete chaos. Does anyone see the similarity here.

Yours Aye

Arthur R-S

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Arthur.
There are two files relating to the LG Notice which between them contain over 140 pages, too many to publish here and I'm not sure if we can without permission.
But let me asure you it is correct the LG Notice does not apply to Campaign or War Commemorative Medals but as we have in writing from the FCO it is up to the Malaysains to clasify the PJM and it is a Service Medal.
Paul



Last edited by Paul Alders on Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:15 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Paul.

Clarification by Malaysia to the FCO should, therefore, designate the PJM as a Service medal and not a Cornflake box trinket. I certainly felt that I was "serving" in Malaya 1957-59 and had the distinct feeling that I was in a war, not an emergency, whatever that might have meant to a boy who had spent many of his childhood nights in an Anderson Shelter with Heinkels overhead dropping bombs, while his dad was in N Africa and Italy maybe "playing" at being a soldier. Said dad came home with the right to wear six medals. I came home with a GSM with Malaya bar and am now in the 4th year of trying to make sense of why I am supposedly not allowed to wear a medal honourably "offered" and graciously accepted from a grateful Commonwealth nation.

Totally confused, I rest my case.


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Mike Barton
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Thanks for the corroboration, Paul and Mike.
Rechecking the wording on the Malaysian (cornflakes) box, containing the PJM, it clearly states, SERVICE TO MALAYSIA.

It does not not state that it is 1.commemorative or 2. campaign medal. I mean, three words are not difficult to understand in this day and age. Which of those words do they have difficulty with?

Not being able to attend any rememberence day parades last year, due to personal reasons, I saw the event on the TV. The many PJMs being worn was gratifying to see. And can anyone tell me, whether they were approached by police or a member of the civil service, requiring the recipient to remove the offending item.

They haven't got the guts. Think of the public outrage in trying to obtain a conviction in court, of the proud bearer of this award. The government would not be able to hush that up, especially when the full weight of the fight4 bolsters our arguement.

Yours Aye

Arthur R-S

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Always ready to corroborate, Arthur, even if it means repeating myself. After all we have repeatedly been lied to or just ignored by the serpents for years. My dad, mentioned in my above post, was a damned difficult bloke and due to his 5 years abroad I never really got to know him, or him me. He died in 2006 aged 93 and I only just managed to get to his hospital bed in order to say cheerio before the final coma. We did it like old soldiers, no kisses and no mention of the word love. We had been in touch by phone and he knew about my PJM fight. He allowed me to wipe his head with a towel and before he began to slip away he asked how the struggle was going. I think I said, "We live in hope," or some such, and his reply was...."Keep at the sods."

While clearing his house I found his six gongs with a bill for being quite recently mounted for the first time. Along with them were his fathers Pip Squeak and Wilfred, thanks for the whole of the Gallipoly debacle, being wounded there and, twice more in Belgium and France. I kept the original ribbons from those and paid for their re-mounting. My PJM was delivered a year after dad died, and there is no doubt that I shall...."Keep at the sods," for as long as it takes.


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Mike Barton
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And so shall I Mike.

Your story demonstrates why we will not give up.

Glad you got there in time.

John


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Pingat Kami - Hak Kami
651 Signal Troop,
Semengo Camp,
Kuching.
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We will all keep at the xxxxxxxs Mike.

It's nice to know that there are many of us that boast a long family line in 'the business', and have the medals as a permanent reminder of the sacrifices that were made.

I say this, in the light of the many who are first generation military. Their service is no less diminished, by being new to the game.

My neighbour, former RAF Regiment, is proud as punch that his eldest son has joined the family business. He has finished his training and will be going to Afghanistan in January of next year. It would be nice to see him with his Afghan medal on.

Back to the story. Do you think this constant change of civil serpents, is due to the nervous breakdowns of said reptiles? I mean to say, if they cannot stand the pace
etc etc etc.

Yours Aye

Arthur R-S

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