Blogger Mej Nor Ibrahim Sulaiman, a retired officer of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has since 2009 been on a crusade for several officers and men of the RMAF who have since retired, to be awarded with the appropriate award in recognition of their gallant and outstanding service to the nation. Mej Nor Ibrahim believes that these brave and gallant officers and airmen have been deprived of their recognition, while some other not so deserving cases have been awarded.
Reading from the numerous writings in his blog (http://xnuripilot.blogspot.com), Mej Nor Ibrahim, despite having written to the appropriate authorities and individuals, is still not able to convince any one of them to consider his appeal in awarding those officers and airmen of the RMAF. I can sense the frustration in Mej Nor Ibrahim, a retired air force officer whose sole purpose is to seek what is due for the officers and airmen that had once been his comrade at arms. I can see no other retired military officer like him who has taken so much of time and effort to dutifully serve others. I now begin to wonder why the serving military officers at Mindef, and in particular the air force big-wigs have to ‘insulate’ themselves away from the cause that Mej Nor Ibrahim is trying to perpetuate?
In an article that Mej Nor Ibrahim wrote to the Berita Harian dated 10th February 2011, he questioned why wasn’t any one of the 18 policemen that died defending the police station at Bukit Kepong, Negeri Sembilan during a raid by communist terrorist in the early hours of 23 February 1950, not being awarded a single gallantry award. The policemen were outnumbered by a ratio of 10:1 and stood against the terrorist until they were shot dead and burned. Are their actions not heroism? Or have they all to be alive to tell the tale and to prove themselves heroes?
In his blog, Mej Nor Ibrahim had made a comparison between the Bukit Kepong incident and that of the Bukit Jenalik/Sauk incident that occurred on 6 July 2000. I don’t wish to describe the Bukit Jenalik/Sauk incident because this incident is well known to the military and police circle, and it has also been made into a documentary film by History TV channel that only speaks of individual exploits, and not the many others who were intimately involved in the planning and execution of the operations.
The Bukit Jenalik/Sauk incident is to me an act undertaken by a group of criminals that has made national heroes of six individuals; two being recipients of the gallantry award of SP, and the remaining four, the PGB. I am told that not a single shot was fired at the criminals, and I suppose this must be the reason why the six were awarded the nation’s highest award for valour. In the case of Bukit Kepong where 18 of our policemen and including 4 police dependents were killed and burned, not a single person was awarded; not even the lowly rated KPK.
Are we to believe that the policemen did nothing to defend themselves? Are we to believe that they did not shoot a single round, but instead ran away, which is an act of cowardice? Are we to believe that they surrendered themselves for fear of being killed? And I think, it must be for these reasons that they were not treated as heroes.
Now, in the case of Bukit Jenalik/Sauk, was there a firefight with bullets sizzling over the heads of our heroes, and with them charging through to disarm and capture the criminals? Are we to believe that by pushing down someone who is already frightened and confused, should rightfully be called a national hero and be crowned the SP? And for being caught and shot dead, should that dead person be called a hero and deserve the PGB? Are we to believe that the criminals should be treated as enemies of the state, like we did for the communist terrorist and insurgents?
There are several questions raised as to how could the six ‘heroes’ deserve the SP and PGB. They must be super heroes to outclass the British and Gurkha soldiers that fought in the Falklands. Please let me know how many of them were awarded the VC by the Queen? The Bukit Jenalik heroes must have even outclassed Kanang’s act of bravery and valour.
I would like to appeal to the authorities and to all that reads this, to voice their support for what Mej Nor Ibrahim has been trying to do since 2009. Six awards for valour in just a single incident at Bukit Jenalik/Sauk, and not a single award for the twenty two who died defending their post against an overwhelming enemy force makes little sense to me.
CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION
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11 comments:
Assalamualaikum Dato',
I'm very much honoured that you wrote about my 'crusade' in your blog...Thank you. To keep you updated on this issue, I just posted my suggestion to PM on his facebook.
Dato'
Sorry to say that all the present air force big-wigs will never be able to understand what Mej Nor Ibrahim had gone through and not even the CDF knows the deep feeling and the sentiment that run in Nor Ibrahim blood.
Hopefully some one from the Air without Force will response to this blog. But actually plenty to comments but would like to hear from the Air Force big-wigs. The waiting time is ticking!!!! where are you air force big-wigs! Kalau tak tahu bertanya la!!! jangan bodoh sombong!
Saudara Nor,
Saya akan sokong apa saja yang baik, dan apa yang 'diperjuangkan' olih saudara selama ini perlu diberi kepujian. Amat malang sekali kerana mereka yang masih berkhidmat hanya mampu tutup telinga, mata dan hidung.
Selamat berjuang.
Dato,
Angkatan Tentera hari ini sama dengan politik hari ini juga. Mana ada lagi perjuangan yang sejati dan mereka tidak tahu lagi menilai erti pergorbanan sebenar. Yang ada hanya lah slogan sahaja. Sebab itu lah mereka yang sepatut diberi pengiktirafan tidak mendapatnya.
Dato.
Saya kekadang terpikir lebih baik menjadi ahli sukan, penyanyi dan apa saje yang boleh mengembirakan dan membanggakan pemimpin barulah itu dipanggil hero. Pengorbanan kepada negara telah banyak disalah tafsirkan maklumlah kini ancaman komunis pun sudah berakhir. Memang tak sedar di untung dan mengenang budi.
By awarding the SP and PGBs to non-deserving people involved in the Sauk incident, the govt has actually lowered the value of the SP and PGB to that of mere KPK. Worse still, this total over-sight by the Awards Committee has had the effect of belittling (memperkecilkan dan melekehkan) the sacrifices of those actual heroes who lost their lives.
The splendour and glamour of the SP and PGB awards is now completely in tatters.
Mana mereka berenam ini meletak muka mereka?
Tapi duit dapat, malu sikit tak apa. Malaysia apapun boleh!!!
Salam Dato'
This is a real joke, that one is awarded a PGB for stupidity in allowing your self to be captured and killed by a 'Chaukana' Al-Mauna men.One captured policeman was and made to work as a coolie batak by the enemy was also given a a PGB. Then there was this senior police bloke who also got a PGB for playing P.Ramlai songs at the bottom of the hill. Of course the person who really takes the cake was this General of ours who nearly buggered the entire ops by trying to disarm a confused lone enemy when there were already armed commandos pointing their weapons at the head of this Amin fella. In fact when this episode was reenacted on TV I wanted to vomit when this Gen was trying to pass off as a hero.
This episode insults all holders of the SP, and PGB. I would not consider any of them even for a KPK and would consider the commanders for court martial proceedings for allowing unnecessary loss of loss of life of security forces both who happened to be non Malays.
Dear All,
I have heard several versions of this Sauk incident and the supposedly 'heroism' of the six. Unfortunately, no one wants to expose the truth and this leaves the 'heroes' to tell their version of the story. If only I could have access to the Board of Inquiry that I believe, tells the true version of the Sauk incident. Unless the truth is revealed, the entire Armed Forces and future generation of our officers/soldiers will believe in what has been told by the 'heroes'.
Dato
I read from the DAP newspaper that the army is assisting the police to patrol the Ipoh, Seremban and Taping street. Have you heard any thing about this? I'm just curious if we really need the soldier to patrol the street since we're not in any state of emergency and we're not threaten by any external forces. Why MAF is patrolling the street? Should commoner like me should worry about it?
Salam
Dear Malaysian,
I know that the MP's did road patrolling in the town areas during the emergency period. But I have not heard anything about the military doing road patrolling in Ipoh. Will check this out.
I salute Mej Nor Ibrahim for his courage, patience and persistency.
Why are the national leaders, MAF and RMAF big-wigs not giving Mej Nor Ibrahim a fair hearing instead of treating this retired major like "sampah"! Can somebody with authority come forward with an answer?
I am shocked to read Dato' Arshad's
posting and comments from readers regarding the "hero awards" to Jenalik/Sauk "heroes"!
Our country has Chief of Army, CDF, Minister of Defence, Armed Forces Council and above all, DYMM The Yang DiPeruan Agong. All citations for bravery awards would have gone through them for approval and blessing before candidates were honoured with prestigious bravery awards such as SP and PGB? It puzzles me why there are now parties which claim that the wrong people were being honoured and awarded!
The accusation is very serious and if true, the SP and PGB bravery awards have been "made cheap" which certainly makes real heroes like WO Kanang VERY ANGRY!
The current Chief of Army must conduct a special investigation with former Panglima 2 Inf Div, Panglima 2 Bde at the time of Jenalik/Sauk fiasco ( Lt Gen Dato Khairuddin and Brig Gen Dato Yazam??) and the living witnesses
coming forward to reveal the truth.
Until the REAL TRUTH is revealed and the "real heroes" are authenticated and announced, we are now left with NO "Sauk heroes"!!
Tamingsari
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