What's in a title?

"Have you read today's news about a Datuk and his wife held of suspected in baby trafficking, Ai Wei?"
"Of course, I did but I'm never surprised at such things happening. True or not, for me it is always possible that a datuk is capable of such deeds."
"Hey! How can you say that? He's a datuk, you know? Someone bestowed with a title by the king or one of the sultans must be someone really great."
"Great? I don't know about that. What I do know is that some of the datuks I have known do not deserve any datukship. As for the king and the sultans giving titles to these people, the king or sultans are merely following the advise of the political leaders," I told my friend.
" Still they must have done something to get those titles," my friend insisted.
"That's where I have to agree with you. What I do not agree to is the greatness attached to such actions. I have known so called great politicians who could be great enough to pass a party's treasurer's accounts without the accounts available. And the whole lot of so called party leaders can just vote to allow it even though they were told by a few of us that that could not be done through a vote as no account can ever be passed without a proper look, if not study, of it. But as you say, such people are great. They can do such things. That's how great that datuk was."
"Did such a thing really happen?" he queried.
Well, let's put it this way. I would never say something I don't know. Of course, it's difficult to prove after so many years but it's a fact that it did happen. Any way, even if you do not believe my saying that some datuks do not deserve their titles, tell me what you read and follow the story to confirm what I said."

If my memory has not gone senile, and the case has been proved true, then it must be true that this is not the first time, a datuk has been found to be worse than a commoner. I think there was even a gangster among them. Well, since most of you read the news more regularly than me, you ought to know better.

Another thing which lead to my not giving such titles much respect is the fact that very good, hard-working opposition leaders who have served the people and the country well, a few even putting a hundred percent effort into it despite not being a minister have never been awarded such titles although according to the constitution these opposition leaders are the king's opposition, working for the progress of the country as much, if not more, than the king's government. So, if the title is to be awarded for the great deeds they have done, people like Karpal Singh and Lim Kit Siang, opposition politicians who are already well known to every citizen for their efforts to be the country's watchdog and correct the government to ensure the citizens' interests are upheld, should have already been awarded titles. How come less able politicians and others who have never served the country as well as these two known capable leaders are awarded? I would certainly respect Karpal Singh or Lim Kit Siang more than many so-called leaders who have done so little for the country. I believe even the many datuks we have in this country do respect those two leaders although they would never admit to it as in doing so another idiot among them might report them as 'traitors'. Well, nowadays, that is the word they used to describe anyone who does not subscribe to their thinking.

So, if the association of datuks wants more respect from the public, it must do something to ensure that such titles are not so freely available to any politician or wealthy business people even when such people have not done anything worthwhile for the country. In fact, I remember a time when someone pointed out that that title is so easily available that if you were to throw a stone, it would most probably hit a datuk. And the people who pick the right people for such titles must never be bias, picking only the truly best regardless of whether you like them or not or belong to your party or not. Then, my dear friend, you can protest should anyone disagree that a datuk must be one of those great guys in the country and I will have to agree even if one or two of them happen to change and become bad apples.

And in doing so can we be fair to those datuks who truly are great. Of course we have to admit that there must have been some who are truly great. Well, I know of one who deserve his datukship. this man served the state as its goalkeeper and later did much for the community in his area as well as speak out his conscience boldly whenever the need arose. So there are some who are great. But how can we think thus of most datuks if what we see or happenings which we experience tell us otherwise? It is time to be fair and for a change to be made. For too long some have been deprived of fairness. the wise take action to correct the wrongs while the mediocre allows time to flow on hoping for no need of such an action. As an individual, what kind of action can you take?