Image of the PJM Medal
Banner Text = Fight For the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal
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Margaret Beckett
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Post Margaret Beckett 
I sent a snail mail to Jack Straw at the beginning of the week and I suspect that he probably just about had time to take it from his pigeon hole at the House of Commons (or at least his flunky did) before he was invited by that lovely Mr B.Liar to pack his worldly goods and head for the hills. Not to be outdone, I have revamped the letter (ie changed the name) and sent it to the new Foreign Secretary. The worst that can happen is that she will have both copies on her desk. Shame!!!
On another, related topic, does anyone know why the Man of Straw was demoted? Perhaps he had muttered words of support for the PJM?


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Gerald Law (ex RAF Borneo Veteran)
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Post Margaret Beckett 
I figured I'd welcome Ms Beckett to the neighbourhood too...just e-mailed...

To: Margaret Beckett MP.
Foreign Secretary

Subject: Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM)

Dear Ms Beckett,

Please accept my congratulations on your recent selection to the post of Foreign Secretary.

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.

Please accept this communication as an expression of my extreme disappointment at that recent decision reached by Her Majesty's advisors, regarding the restricted acceptance of the PJM announced in the FCO Ministerial Statement on the 31st January 2006.

I am writing to you to ask if you will please consider amendments to the language which permits Malaya and Borneo veterans to ‘accept, but not formally wear’ this honour - this language being, I am reliably advised, within the purview of the FCO. We seek nothing more than that. The Queen has accepted the medal - we merely wish to be able to wear it with pride and dignity.

To tell 35,000 loyal military ex-servicemen and women, and civilians, 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 wrong, 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 those 519 of our comrades who fell during the course of those conflicts. It also offers gratuitous insult to the Agong, Government and Peoples of Malaysia.

The restricted recommendation places 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 her Australian and New Zealand citizens, our Commonwealth comrades, despite the ‘Brits’ being the only ones to serve in all parts of Malaysia throughout the period.

A critical point to bear in mind, is that those eligible for the PJM are now ageing civilians, who will never again wear the Queen’s uniform. Some Ministers and MP’s appear to be confusing us with serving members of HM Armed Forces who are subject to Military dress codes.

We cannot understand why we are being denied this little bit of pride in what we did for Malaysia. More than that, we strenuously object to having been made to feel like second-class citizens.

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

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


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...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.
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Post Margaret Beckett... 
Correction to my previous post....Tried to e-mail Ms Beckett at both, her Parliamentary addy and her Constituency addy...bounced out as 'undeliverable' on both counts...(a cunning ruse to reduce the PJM contacts???)

No matter....I've recopied the text into letter format and it'll be in the 'snail' Airmail tomorrow morning first thing.


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...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.
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Post Margaret Beckett 
Jock,
Go onto the FCO web site click on the contact us button pick a subject (I chose OTHER)
Put your message in the box starting with TO: MARGARET BECKETT

It should get there but I also backed it up with a letter should be there Monday for her.

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Post Margaret Beckett 
Good post. Assuming that she has a file on her desk with all of Jack Straw's outstanding business, the letters that will arrive next week may just spur her into action. Apparently the reason that Jack Straw was demoted wa that he was beginning to show signs of supporting Gordon Brown in the leadership contest. What do they say about a divided enemy?


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Gerald Law (ex RAF Borneo Veteran)
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