Abdullah conferred Kedah’s highest award

ALOR STAR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be conferred Kedah’s highest award, the Darjah Utama Kedah (DUK), in conjunction with Sultan Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah’s 78th birthday today. 

Newly-appointed Mentri Besar Datuk Mahdzir Khalid and Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of the Deputy Prime Minister, will be conferred the Seri Setia di-Raja Kedah (SSDK) award that carries the title Datuk Seri. 

State executive councillor Datuk Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah, Army commander Jen Datuk Seri Abdul Aziz Zainal, Langkawi MP Datuk Abu Bakar Taib, Navy commander Datuk Illyas Din and Air Force deputy commander Lt Jen Datuk Azizan Ariffin will receive the Datuk Paduka Seri Setia Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah (DHMS) award that carries the title Datuk Paduka. 

The Darjah Gemilang Seri Mahkota Kedah (DGMK) award that carries the title Datuk Wira will go to Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Paduka Azalina Othman Said, state financial officer Datuk Ismail Hamid, Alor Star mayor Datuk Yusof Nayan, deputy Army commander Lt Jen Datuk Muhammad Ismail Jamaluddin and Westar Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Seri Syed Azman Syed Ibrahim. 

The Datuk Paduka Mahkota Kedah (DPMK) award that carries the title Datuk will be conferred on Alor Star High Court judge Datuk Zainal Adzam Abd Ghani, High Court judge Datuk Wan Adnan Muhamad and Deputy Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin. 

The Sultan will also confer the Datuk Setia di-Raja Kedah (DSDK) award that carries the title Datuk on 51 recipients. Among them are Mardi Economic and Technology Management Centre assistant director Tunku Mahmud Tunku Yahya, Judiciary Commissioner Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah, Integrated Air Defence System deputy commander Brig Jen Tunku Izham Tunku Jusoh, Kedah deputy chief police officer SAC (I) Ahmad Katran Askandar, Penang CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Syed Ismail Syed Azizan, Sixth Brigade Infantry commander Brig Jen Datuk Al Latif Mohd Noor, state executive councillors Datuk Azmi Daim and Nawawi Ahmad, Deputy Speaker Jamil Idross, Malaysian ambassador to Qatar Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari, and parliamentary secretaries in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Mohd Johari Baharom and Datuk Dr Mahitoh Ibrahim. 

Other DSDK recipients include state Wanita MCA chief Lim Bee Kau, TV3 news and current affairs department director Datuk Kamarulzaman Zainal, Mida director-general Datuk R. Karunakaran @ Karownakaran, Survey and Mapping Department director-general Dr Abdul Kadir Taib, Kota Star district officer Hashim Ismail, Prime Minister’s chief confidential secretary Datuk Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab, Universiti Utara Malaysia registrar Latifah Hassan, and Universiti Putra Malaysia orthopaedic lecturer Assoc Prof Dr K. Silvakumar. 

National Fishermen Association (Nekmat) chairman Jusoh Awang, Syarikat Edaran Digital System Berhad managing director Bistaman Ramli and Thong Guan Industries Bhd chairman Ang Toon Cheng @ Ang Tong Sooi are also among the recipients. 

The Setia di-Raja Kedah (SDK) award will be conferred on 27 people, Ahli Mahkota Kedah (AMK) award to 110, Bintang Perkhidmatan Cemerlang Kedah (BCK) to 49, and Jaksa Pendamai (JP) to 18. 

The state had yet to release the list of Bintang Kebaktian Masyarakat (PKM) and Pingat Jasa Masyarakat (PJK) recipients at press time.