I have just sent a letter to Mark Harper MP in answer to his atrocious letter about the PJM and his way out views. This is my first attempt at this so here goes:-

http://www.fight4thepjm.org/documents/Mark_Harper_MP_andyletter.pdf

mcdangle wrote:

I have just sent a letter to Mark Harper MP in answer to his atrocious letter about the PJM and his way out views. This is my first attempt at this so here goes:-

http://www.fight4thepjm.org/documents/Mark_Harper_MP_andyletter.pdf

This is a great letter, Andy. Mark Harper will rue the day he did not do his homework and simply swallowed the party line. Barry

Andy
A great letter and it tells it like it is.


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Gerald Law (ex RAF Borneo Veteran)

A 'guid yin' right enough Andy...Way to go!


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...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.

Thanks all. I have also written to Jack 'the lad' Straw and the Parliamentary Standards Office stating that there is an abuse of power in regard to the PJM - no-one will say who made the non-wearing rule but the one who did has, in my opinion, abused his office. I did not post these letters because I did not know how to do so. Got help from Barry so can now let you all know what I am up to.

I have showed Mr Harper the error of his ways.
Keep at him

Nice one Andy B Z.Where do they get these people from.Wouldn't it be nice if for once these MP's of both parties who claim to represent Veterans actually researched their subject so they would know what they were talking about.Instead of the total load of Bollocks some of them spout off.


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Regards Aye.Jon Windust

Wow! Andy! That has socked it to him, no get 'out of jail' clause there, I think we have hung him out to dry, what on earth are these people on?


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HD Committee: Amateurs in a Professional World
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Got a little fed-up witnessing you guys having all the fun composing letters to all and sundry...ergo; as follows...

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal
Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA
England. UK

April 24, 2006


Subject: Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM)

Your Royal Highness,

I am writing to you in your capacity as Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Corps of Signals and as Commandant-in-Chief of St John Ambulance, in both of which I was privileged to serve.

I am confident that you will be aware of the recent recommendation, of the Honours and Decorations Committee, which denies British Malaya and Borneo veterans the right to wear the PJM that has been graciously offered to them by the King and Government of Malaysia for their part in successfully protecting newly independent Malaysia from aggression. There is extreme and widespread disappointment at that recent decision reached by Her Majesty's advisors, who comprise said Committee, regarding the restricted acceptance of the PJM announced in the FCO Ministerial Statement on the 31st January 2006.

My purpose in writing is to respectfully ask if you will lend your support to us (British Malaya and Borneo veterans) in our struggle to have this shameful recommendation amended, so that I, and many others like me, may have formal permission to wear our PJM with pride. That is all we are seeking. The Queen has accepted the medal - we just wish to be able to wear it.

To tell 35,000 loyal military ex-servicemen and women that they may accept a medal, which they will not be permitted to wear, defies all logic. On one hand, we are told that two rules (double-medalling and events over 5 years ago) are waived to permit acceptance and then, paradoxically, are immediately resurrected as reasons for the medal not to be ‘formally’ worn. To make matters worse, the double-medalling objection is erroneous, not only because thousands of veterans eligible for the PJM have no British medal, but also because the 5 year rule is spurious when applied to the scope of the Malaysian medal which was offered to the British in 2005.

This decision denigrates the loyalty and service of we, the affected veterans. In addition, it demeans the sacrifice made by our comrades who fell during the course of those conflicts. It concurrently offers gratuitous insult to the Agong, Government and Peoples of Malaysia.

The restricted recommendation appears to place Her Majesty the Queen in the invidious position of having told her British citizens that they must be content with rights inferior to those which she has previously conferred upon Australian and New Zealand citizens, our Commonwealth comrades, despite the fact that the ‘Brits’ were the only group to serve in all parts of Malaysia throughout the ‘Emergency’ and ‘Konfrontasi’ periods.

As an individual I categorically refuse to believe that my Sovereign is responsible for this implied insult. Further, I reject any implication or innuendo that to wear this medal will somehow offer an insult to that Sovereign.

It is instead, my belief, that her HD Committee initially provided Her Majesty with flawed advice, and that the Committee, the FCO and Cabinet Office have subsequently conspired to obfuscate the issue by refusing, despite repeated appeals, to provide a precise, clarifying definition of the term, ‘formal permission’, as applied to a group of ageing civilians, who are desirous of nothing more than wearing their medal, in memory of their comrades, on an annual ‘Remembrance Day’ parade.

Thank you for being so generous with your time as to read this submission.

Sincerely,


John ‘Jock’ Fenton.
(Ex Royal Corps of Signals & 17th Gurkha Division, Malaya)

Additional information and comment available
at http://www.fight4thepjm.org/index.htm


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...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.

'Jock' Fenton wrote:

Got a little fed-up witnessing you guys having all the fun composing letters to all and sundry...ergo; as follows...

Another great letter - thanks, Jock. Barry


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BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia

mcdangle wrote:

I have just sent a letter to Mark Harper MP in answer to his atrocious letter about the PJM and his way out views.

I am new, but am reading all the information on this excellent web site. What I do not understand is "Why?" Why are they stopping you from wearing this medal that you earned? And why is the opposition just doing what they are told by the Government? What is at stake for them to be caught lying about the background to this medal? It must be very important because mcdangle's letter and this web site proves they are lying.

I am not entitled to the medal but you have my total support. I cannot think of any reason why the medal should not be worn and the Government has lost its case and so they cannot provide me with any reasons that I am going to accept. It's diabolical. You have the moral high ground, you have right on your side. I hope you will not give in in the face of all that establishment pressure. They are wrong - you are right. It's as straightforward as that.

Thank you Val....first for deciding to join us in what we see as an honest and honourable fight...and also for a few words of encouragement

You say you cannot understand why?....In that you are not alone, and I certainly do not presume to have all the answers...but my humble guess is that initially the HD Committee made a total hash of it's initial scrutiny of this medal, resulting in it's offering to Her Majesty the specious, 'no formal wear', language.

They are wrong....dead wrong!...and getting them to admit to their error is a decidely onerous task...self evidently they'd prefer it if we'd all just go away and subside into disgruntled silence.

But that is NOT going to happen! ...They have made the mistake of providing us with more hooks on which to hang our argument than would be required to equip the average tuna boat...and this group of veterans will not quit!

Welcome aboard Val...and a welcome to all the other 'newbies' that are swelling our ranks!


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...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.

Well said Jock and a warm welcome Val.

It has struck me Val for a long time as to why OUR Government elected by us can kick 35000 ex veterans into touch, well I will rephrase that THEY think they can do that but this rugby scrum has more tenacity than that old British Bulldog that went 10-20 years before us.

It is hard to imagine isn't it how we still think that we own the world, how we can send a gunboat to a country and before a shot has been fired asking for the surrender. Things have changed a tad since those days, yes I know they still wear gold epaulettes and ostrich feathers, carry swords and wear stockings in the Commons but these people still think that they are the aristocracy wielding that big bureaucratic stick where they beat ten tons of cordite out of folk. Those days have gone, a revolution is taking place where these people instead of having scrambled egg on their peaked caps will be wearing that on their faces.

It is folk like yourself that we are looking for support and it is good to have you on board especially as you haven't an axe to grind, please pass on your feelings to others as we want an injustice overturned.


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HD Committee: Amateurs in a Professional World
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We who are entitled to the PJM know what we are fighting for, but when someone like Val comes out and supports us and has nothing to gain, it's an honour to have you on board.
With people like you out there, HOW CAN WE LOOSE.
THANKS VAL

Hi Andy,
Like everyone else, I just had to add my Congratulations on a superb letter to Harper M.P.
It will be interesting to see if he has the B**** to reply. Well done.
Terry......