PUTRAJAYA (Feb 8): Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad led the list of 263 recipients of the Federal Territory awards, honours and medals in conjunction with the 2022 Federal Territory Day that were conferred by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Hasni, 63, was conferred the Darjah Seri Utama Mahkota Wilayah (SUMW), which carries the title “Datuk Seri Utama”, and was the sole recipient of the award at the investiture ceremony at Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday (Feb 8).

The Ministry of Federal Territories, in a statement, said the award was in a recognition of the huge contribution by Johor to the development of the Federal Territories and the important role played by Hasni as the 18th Johor menteri besar.

Since his appointment to the post on Feb 28, 2020, he has implemented various initiatives to boost the country's economic recovery and ensure the well-being of Keluarga Malaysia (the Malaysian Family) through the Iskandar Regional Development Authority, which is co-chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Hasni has also spearheaded a strategic shift in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic in Johor by holding various social development programmes, including programmes to increase employment and business opportunities.

He also carried out various proactive measures to maintain the investment climate in Johor, so that it remains business-friendly, as well as make Malaysia the preferred location for manufacturers of major global products despite the country’s challenging investment landscape and intense competition from regional and international investment hubs.

Meanwhile, a total of 15 individuals were awarded the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Mahkota Wilayah (SMW), which carries the title “Datuk Seri”.

They were: Auditor-General Datuk Nik Azman Nik Abdul Majid; Ministry of Finance Treasury secretary-general Datuk Asri Hamidon; senior deputy secretary-general of the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Jamil Rakon; and the Prime Minister’s Department Economic Planning Unit director-general Datuk Saiful Anuar Lebai Hussen.

Other SMW recipients included: solicitor-general at the Attorney-General’s Chambers Datuk Abdul Razak Musa; Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) chairman Datuk Mohd Salim Mohd Sharif; Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) senior director (investigation) Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim; and Malaysian Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Army Lieutenant-General Datuk Mohammad Ab Rahman.

Also conferred the SMW were: Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Bhd president Datuk Dr Abdul Fattah Abdullah; PR1MA Malaysia Corp chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Nazri Md Shariff; ICT Zone Asia Bhd chairman Datuk Ng Thien Phing; and SCity Development Sdn Bhd president Datuk Stephen Sim Choo Thiam.

The others were: Asian Football Confederation secretary-general Datuk Windsor Paul John; Yayasan Warisan Batu executive chairman Datuk Yahaya Mat Ghani; and former member of the Federal Territory Pardon’s Board Tan Sri Datuk JJ Raj (deceased).

A total of 59 individuals were awarded the Panglima Mahkota Wilayah (PMW), which carries the title “Datuk”, and among them were: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad; Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Muslimin Yahaya; and Deputy Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh.

Other PMW recipients included: Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia chief executive officer Captain Chester Voo Chee Soon; Education director-general Datin Seri Nor Zamani Abdol Hamid; Malaysian Islamic Development Department deputy director-general (policy) Hakimah Mohd Yusoff; and director of the Institute for Clinical Research Malaysia Dr Kalaiarasu M Peariasamy.

Also conferred the “Datuk” title were: paralympic athlete Abdul Latif Romly; former Malaysian diver Leong Mun Yee; and singer Abdul Hail Amir.

Abdul Latif, a two-time Paralympian and gold medallist, won the first Paralympic gold medal at the Rio Paralympics in 2016 and the second at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

A total of 48 individuals were conferred the Johan Mahkota Wilayah (JMW) and they included Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs enforcement director Azman Adam and paralympic athlete Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi.

Fifty-three individuals were awarded the Kesatria Mahkota Wilayah (KMW), while 34 others received the Ahli Mahkota Wilayah (AMW) and another 53 individuals received the Pingat Pangkuan Mahkota Wilayah (PPW).

The recipients of the KMW award included national badminton men’s doubles Aaron Chia Teng Fong and Soh Wooi Yik, who won the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) journalist Jailani Hassan. 

Labuan Corporation deputy chief executive officer (Municipal) Fadzilah Mahmud and senior assistant medical officer of the Ministry of Health Joseph Kajangan were also awarded the KMW in recognition of their contributions in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.