State sec: Khir’s title suspended, not returned

Khir claimed to have returned the title for the duration of his fraud trial. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 — Dr Mohd Khir Toyo’s “Datuk Seri” title was suspended by the Selangor Sultan and not returned temporarily as suggested by the former mentri besar yesterday in an apparent attempt to salvage his political image. State Secretary Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi today said the decision to suspend Khir’s title was made by the state's royal council this week.
“His title is suspended. It is not [he] who has returned the title. That is a misleading statement by him.
“His title has been suspended until his trial is over,” Khusrin told The Malaysian Insider.
The state secretary said that if Khir is found guilty, he would be permanently stripped of the title.
The title would, however, be returned to him if he was cleared of the charges, Khusrin added.
Writing in his blog yesterday, Khir said that he was returning the Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor medal to avoid dishonouring it during his ongoing graft trial.
“The medal has been returned to avoid a state honorific title being tainted during the course of the trial,” he said.
He claimed he had written to the palace in the middle of December asking to return the medal temporarily and that the Council of the Royal Court of Selangor agreed to his request.
Khir was charged on December 6 under Section 165 of the Penal Code for knowingly accepting a bribe, in the form of two plots of land in Section 7, Shah Alam at a substantial discount from Shamsuddin Haryoni.
He subsequently resigned as state opposition leader.
Today, the former Selangor mentri besar conceded that his “datukship” had been suspended.
“At the royal council meeting on January 11, they made the decision to suspend my title,” Khir told The Malaysian Insider.
Khir, however, maintained that he had offered to surrender his title prior to the royal council’s decision.
“I sent a letter to the palace last month to surrender my title temporarily,” he said.
“I voluntarily surrendered. That is the difference from other people,” added the Sungai Panjang assemblyman.
He explained that it was state policy to suspend state honorific titles for those facing criminal charges.
“That’s why I voluntarily surrendered,” he said of his title, which had been awarded in 2001.
Later, Khusrin revealed that the palace has also suspended Ditamas Sdn Bhd director Shamsuddin’s “datukship”, which had been awarded in 2002.
Shamsuddin was charged on December 6 with abetting Khir in the deal involving the latter’s Balinese-style mansion in Shah Alam.
The state secretary said the Selangor Sultan had decided to suspend the titles of both men due to the “serious” nature of their graft charges.
“The Selangor Sultan made this decision after giving due consideration that the charges against the two are serious and involve public and national interest,” said the state secretary in a statement.