I have received a number of emails from people asking me why notifications about the PJM application form are along the lines of “Did you serve in Malaya, Borneo or Singapore between 31st August 1957 and the 12 August 1966 then you can apply for this medal”. The form itself also states the 12th August 1966 as the cutting off point.

Question: Why the 12th August 1966, and no mention of the 31st December 1966?

As I understand it, the Malaysian Government's requirement is qualifying service between 12th August 1966 and 31st December 1966 - 31st December applying only if the applicant was posted for operations to Malaysia on or before 12th August 1966. The Malaysian Government set the rules at 31st December to provide for a cooling off period. Australian and New Zealand personnel will receive the PJM if they arrived in Malaysia on or before the 12th August 1966 and then stayed there for at least three months.

Would it help more people to apply, and fewer people to be disappointed (and unnecessary admin reduced), if a clear explanation was included on notices about the PJM application form, I wonder.

Or is the promulgated date correct (perish the thought!) and HMG intent on changing the Malaysian rules after the 'game' has started?


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

Barry
The Malaysian rules are quite clear "the cut off date is the 31st december 1966". So i cannot understand why the MN&BVA application form has not been brought in to line,so there is no misunderstanding to everyone concerned?.

jimbo wrote:

Barry
The Malaysian rules are quite clear "the cut off date is the 31st december 1966". So i cannot understand why the MN&BVA application form has not been brought in to line,so there is no misunderstanding to everyone concerned?.

I think (I hope) it was a case of too much haste ... too much haste in getting papers out to fudge the issue. I agree - the Malaysian Government determined the scope of the PJM, and they specifically provided for the 31st December subject to the person arriving in Malaysia on or before the 12th August and serving for the minimum three month period.

I have no idea why this matter has not been explained when promulgating the availability of application forms. I know of some people who did not think they were eligible because they had not served for three months before the 12th August. I have suggested they send in their forms - they are eligible from the Malaysian perspective and that is all that should matter.


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

I have had a message from the NMBVA who confirm that the only closing date they have been given is the 12th August 1966. I have no problem with that - the dates given are 'for service'. I am trying to clarify whether the 'cooling off' period has been deliberately removed for the British (it applied in respect of the other Commonwealth countries). Here is my reply to the NMBVA:

"Thanks for the clarification. I understand your position and I do not want to add confusion at a very busy time for all. I was repeating what I had been told unofficially from a very good source, i.e. that the Malaysians had set the criteria and that they had not amended them for the British - once the medal had been accepted, the British would simply act as ‘agents’, i.e. no authority to change the Malaysian criteria.

I appreciate that you are fully conversant with those criteria (as accepted by Australia and New Zealand) but I post the relevant part here (there are also some very complicated caveats) for the benefit of those who are not. The Malaysian criteria were that qualifying service for those who were on the posted strength of a unit or formation and served in the prescribed operational area of Malaysia and Singapore in direct support of operations in Malaysia for 90 days or more, in the aggregate, are as follows:

(1) Malaysia during the period 31 August 1957 and 31 December 1966 inclusive; or
(2) Singapore during the period 31 August 1957 and 9 August 1965 inclusive.

Qualifying service between 12 August 1966 and 31 December 1966 may only apply if a member was posted for operations to Malaysia on or before 12 August 1966.

The prescribed operational of Malaysia and Singapore is the landmass of East Malaysia (that is: the States of Sabah and Sarawak on the Island of Borneo), the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore extending to 12 nautical miles seaward.

Other rules apply for indirect support. The important words are ‘in the aggregate’ (therefore not continuous) and ‘posted for operations to Malaysia on or before 12 August 1966’. So according to those criteria, one could have been posted to Malaysia on the 12th August but could have served the remaining qualifying days after that date but before the 31st December.

Anyway, as you say, we must await yet another official clarification but in the meantime I was only suggesting that the official dates could put people off applying for the medal if their aggregate was less than 90 days by the 12th August. I think they should be able to apply and not have their application rejected at an early filtering stage - it is the last point that concerns me most. Regards, Barry"

As soon as I can I shall place some official text from Australia and New Zealand clarifying these points on the "The PJM" page .


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

If anyone is interested the following site on Australian awards provides a clear description of eligible criteria for the PJM for Australians. It is also noted that those whose service was cut short through injury as a result of their service in the designated areas will also receive the award.
www.defence.gov.au/dpe/dpe site/honours awards/

IvorJ wrote:

If anyone is interested the following site on Australian awards provides a clear description of eligible criteria for the PJM for Australians. It is also noted that those whose service was cut short through injury as a result of their service in the designated areas will also receive the award.
www.defence.gov.au/dpe/dpe site/honours awards/

The Australian and New Zealand governments seemed not to have so much trouble as the British who are really trying not to be helpful. Hansard reports another answer in the Commons reporeted on the 9th February:

"Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of soldiers, sailors and airmen serving in Malaysia between 31 August 1957 and 31 December 1966 would be eligible for the Pingat Jasa medal if approval for wearing it were given. [48213]

Mr. Touhig: No centrally collated figures are available to show the total number of individual service personnel who served in the Federation of Malaya and subsequently in the Federation of Malaysia between 31 August 1957 and 31 December 1966 and such figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Further, as the Malaysian Government have not yet released a definitive qualification criterion for the Pingat Jasa medal, it would not be possible to estimate the numbers who might be eligible even if the overall figures for those who served in the area were available."

That last sentence beggars belief. Is HMG really trying to tell us that they've accepted an award but they haven't got a clue what the definitive eligibility criteria are? I don't think so - this is just another delaying tactic because HMG knows the criteria. You know them, I know them. So they know them. But they do not want to own up to that yet for their own reasons.

HMG have confirmed to us that they act as 'agents' in this PJM matter. And as I understand it, 'agents' (the British) should not be able to amend the principal's (Malaysia's) offer. So, unless the Brits are going to be offered eligibility criteria quite different (and more restricted) to those of the rest of the Commonwealth, then we know what the ground rules are. Same as 'down under' in Oz and New Zealand.

We know HMG wants to hide the fact that the scope of the PJM is wider than any British medallic award (thus scuppering their pathetic double-medalling stance), but the game's up. So, stop your prevarification, HMG, and get on with the job.


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