Don Touhig still battling hard for the cause. The following is part of his contribution to a Defence debate in Parliament yesterday:-

Support for our veterans is about not only welfare issues, but recognising and remembering the sacrifices that they have made on our behalf. Campaign and service awards, the veterans badge and veterans day on 27 June, which is a big event next Wednesday, are all ways of demonstrating to our veterans that we appreciate and value what they have done in serving our country.

I have tabled early-day motion 356, which has attracted 179 signatures. It calls on the committee on honours and privileges to change its advice to Her Majesty the Queen on the wearing of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal, the PJM. I ask the Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Mr. Ingram), who has been hugely supportive, once again to press the committee on the matter. Her Majesty, as Queen of Australia and of New Zealand, on the advice of her Ministers, has agreed that Australian and New Zealand ex-servicemen can accept the PJM and wear it. The 35,000 British veterans of the Malaysia campaign deserve to be treated no less well than that. I think it wholly wrong that they cannot accept and wear the medal. They were told that they can receive the medal but that they are not permitted to wear it on public occasions. At best, that decision is unjust; at worst, it is a disgrace and a shame on Britain. I know that my right hon. Friend has taken an interest in the matter, and I ask him to press the committee once again to review its advice to Her Majesty.

This country has made great strides in recognising and supporting our veterans, but we can do much more. I hope that Ministers will find some merit in the points that I have made. I do not expect a full response today, but I look forward to a time when this Government, this Parliament and this country show even greater commitment to the men and women who have served in Britain's armed forces.


_________________
Pingat Kami - Hak Kami
651 Signal Troop,
Semengo Camp,
Kuching.

See Don Touhig's comments (and those of some PJM'mers) at this link...

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2007-06-21a.1558.0#c11924


_________________
...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.

It is my understanding that HM The Queen has already given her permission for any medal she has approved to be worn,..... subject to certain limitation which doesn't apply to PJM'ers. Therefore I believe "The Don's" advice to the HD committee should have been for them to stop trying to over-rule her


_________________
KenN

Ken,

I whole heartedly agree; however, Don Touhig can only really 'draw attention' to the problem.
Des Brown and Derek Twigg are the Ministers who should be sorting out this matter, however,
it would appear from Brown's performances and Twigg's replies to correspondence that they are
still firmly "prisoners of their civil servants".

Perhaps the 'Don', who it appears doesn't genuflect to anyone, could refer the matter to the 'new'
Prime Minister, the self appointed Veterans' Champion, to amend the Ministerial Statement on
Parliamentary Records to read ACCEPT and WEAR and to make sure that the discovery of the
following recorded evidence of misconduct is punished, whatever the rank of the civil service officers,
not withstanding the extra responsibility for the most senior and probable instigators: 'corporate nepotism',
as well as the history of lies by omission, deliberate misquotes (what else?) of regulations, and of course,
misinterpretations of rules, e.g. "Crown Servant" still applies; even Part C of the 2005 rules appears to have
been especially designed to preclude the wearing of the PJM by eligible veterans, and then imposed retrospectively,
see the parliamentary notice:-
Standard Note SN/1A/3914
Last updated 10 February 2006
Author Clare Taylor
International Affairs and Defence Section.

which of course contains the usual drivel re the '5 year', 'distant past' and 'double medalling' which we know
now are arbitrary or discretionary and imposed on US but not THEM!

Gordon Brown has the opportunity to start his tenure by getting rid of the straight-jacket of elitist,
civil service 'advisers' and showing us that he is not only the Veterans Champion but a man of the people and
someone who will listen to advice but not take it as 'God' given... oh well, turn over, close my eyes and go
back to dreaming.

Sorry, honest, I'm not trying to set an amendment record'!



Last edited by GLOman on Sun Jun 24, 2007 1:25 pm; edited 6 times in total

Quote:

GLOman wrote:
Gordon Brown has the opportunity to start his tenure by getting rid of the straight-jacket of elitist,
civil service 'advisers' and showing us that he is not only the Veterans Champion but a man of the people!

.....Exactly GLOman!....it would be such a simple act for the new PM to demonstrate his 'bona fides' as a friend of the British Veteran by rescinding this embarrassment...it would simultaneously provide him with a 'good news' headline heralding the start of his accession(what 'Pollie' doesn't like that?)....and best of all aspects to place before the public....it'd be done at no taxpayer expense!

Looks like an absolute 'no-brainer' to me...


_________________
...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.