The Unsung Heroes

READERS, WHO ELSE BUT MY WIFE TO GIVE ALL OUT SUPPORT FOR MY STRUGGLE IN PURSUING AN  ALLOWANCE FOR THE OTHER THREE CATEGORIES OF GALLANTRY MEDAL RECIPIENTS....THIS IS FROM HER PERSPECTIVE! This is an extract from her blog - sitiroffinimy.blogspot.com

Once again I am called to write after having read my husband's letter in the Utusan Malaysia dated 3 October 2009. It is indeed a pity that all my husband's efforts in trying to secure an allowance for all PTU recepients are , as at today , all in vain. Under normal circumstances, I am not a fighter like him but I feel that I have to voice out my opinions in this particular case. Before I proceed, let it be known to all that we are NOT PAUPERS, far from it, but I feel that it is my duty to support my husband in his struggle to achieve what he is rightfully entitled to. If , by any chance, he is successful, then I can proudly say that I have contributed my bit towards the issue.

Sometimes it makes me wonder whether the One Malaysia tag line "Rakyat didahulukan, Pencapaian diutamakan" is, at all, relevant. My husband has already achieved one of the ONLY five categories of bravery awards in the country and to me that is indeed an achievement which translates into pencapaian. Now why all this sudden furore over this award. The answer to that is purely DISSATISFACTION. My husband is dissatisfied because the relevant party has failed to justify why he should not be given an allowance. If the other two bravery awards, the SP and the PGB are given an allowance , why discriminate the other remaining three. The recipients of PTU, JPP and KPK had also done their bit for the country. May be the degree of their contribution is less than that of the SP and PGB recipients (this is again a very subjective issue) but , nevertheless they had exhibited their brave and courageous streak in defending the country. The country has acknowledged their acts by bestowing the awards to them but unfortunately, there is no conformity with regards to the allocation of the allowance that comes with the awards. If, at all, all the five catagories of the awards were not to be monetarily compensated , then I think there is no cause for all this campaign. But when the top two awards are accompanied by a generous allowance then naturally the remaining three catagories would want the same treatment accorded to them. IT IS ONLY FAIR.

I am sure many would argue that it is their duty to fight for the country. After all, they are soldiers and soldiers are paid "handsomely" to fight for the country. Very true indeed. But, the bravery awards are only given to those who go BEYOND their scope of duties. This fact is clearly stipulated in this link http://www.malaysianmonarchy.org.my/portal_bi/rk6/rk6a.php?id=rk6_21 . It is these extracurricular activities that earned them their medals.

I was very disappointed when I read an e-mail to my husband trying to explain why his quest for the allowance was rejected by the government. According to the e-mail, only the SP and PGB are regarded as "prestigeous" medals and so the recipients are justified in getting their allowance. I can't help but wonder, how and when these medals came to be categorised as "prestigious and non-prestigious ". If that is the case, then why did the government created five categories in the first place. I think the relevant authourities should now put in a proprosal to abolish JPP, PTU and KPK since these three are non-prestigious. That should keep my husband quiet.

Datuk Lee Chong Wei is given an allowance of RM3000 a month for winning a silver medal in the last Olympics. I think all Malaysians will agree with me when I say that he deserves it. I saw the spectacular game on TV. He displayed a non-compromising attitude when confronting his opponent . I have seen many Malaysian badminton players in action but, in my opinion, Datuk Lee has a very strong fighting spirit. I salute you , Datuk.

In the case of Datuk Lee Chong Wei, it is easy to see what he has done for the country. Most of his games are telecast live throughout the whole of Malaysia and some other parts of the world. We saw how he "fought" to glorify his country not once, not twice but many, many times.

The same analogy is applicable to all those who fought bravely to defend the country but unfortunately their acts of bravery could not be displayed live for all to see. Unlike Datuk Lee, they will never be thrust into the limelight while in action. The nature of their work is often classified 'secret'. Most Malaysians are unaware of what these special breed of people had to go through to bring peace and harmony to the country. Most Malaysians are unaware of how they sweated and toiled and put their lives at stake to ensure that, Datuk Lee can continue to bring glory to Malaysia, Datuk Nichole Davids can continue to pursue her fifth World Championship title, Datuk Siti Norhaliza can continue crooning, Datuk Shah Rukh Khan can continue to entertain us through Hindi films,  Dr. Faiz can follow in the footsteps of Datuk Dr. Sheikh Muzaffar in space exploration, and last but not least, so that ordinary folks like me can go about our daily activities without fear of being attacked or bombed by the enemies. Hence ,is it too much for our "unsung heroes" to ask for a small allowance in return for what they had done for the country. As a wife, I know what my husband and his friends went through during their fight against the communists. It was a period of intense anxiety and stress, to put it mildly. Every time, he was tasked to fly to the border, we could never be sure whether we would ever see him again ALIVE. Many of my husband's friends perished whilst in action and this , in turn, made many of my friends widows and their children orphans.

Now, readers, you be the judge. And, with that, ladies and gentlemen, I rest my case.