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The PJM Distribution Problems
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Post The PJM Distribution Problems 
The mean-spirited and incongruous PJM decision has enabled the MoD, FCO and Cabinet Office (with all their resources and OBE's in the offing) to shift the whole weight of distributing the PJM onto the shoulders of British veterans.

I was told last year by a civil servant in the MoD that one reason that the PJM would not be given permission to be worn was that if it were to be wearable the MoD would have to check records and that would cost them time and money. It beggar's belief!

We have always believed this to be the reason for the recommendation (it's in our Rebuttal).

The Sunday Post (their copyright dated 29 July 2007) has highlighted the issue ... Read this:

http://www.fight4thepjm.org/documents/Media_Coverage/Sunday_Post_Medal_Distribution_290707.jpg

Go to their newspaper and leave a message!

http://www.dcthomson.co.uk/MAGS/POST/news4.htm


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BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia
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Just in case there are any who are not sure how to contact the Sunday Post...herewith the contact detail copied from the 'Post's website:

If you’re looking to contact The Sunday Post, here’s some info on how to do it by e-mail, post or fax. If you’re not sure which you should use, send an e-mail to mail@sundaypost.com and we’ll do our best to help.

Readers’ letters - readerspage@sundaypost.com


By Post

The Sunday Post,
144 Port Dundas Road,
Glasgow,
G4 OHZ.


Please mark the subject of your letter clearly on the envelope. We may edit letters, or use them in any part of the paper. Items published will be paid for


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Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.
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Post Re: The PJM Distribution Problems ... Email the Newsdesk 
BarryF wrote:
Go to their newspaper and leave a message!


Here's another idea ... why not email their Newsdesk at newsdesk@sundaypost.com.

Refer to the article by Stephen Bowron "Soldiers Up In Arms Over Medal Delay", Sunday 29th July 2007.

Send them your thoughts. Here is what I wrote:

"I refer to the article by Stephen Bowron, "Soldiers Up In Arms Over Medal Delay", Sunday 29th July 2007.

I write as one of the leaders of the campaign to rectify the ludicrous and incongruous PJM situation (www.fight4thepjm.org) and to thank you for highlighting our plight and the despair and frustration felt by British veterans.

MoD, Foreign Office and Cabinet office civil servants have added insult to injury regarding their attitude to British veterans. Having burdened veterans with the costs of the distribution of the PJM (together with the Malaysian High Commission who have also been dumped on), they have also denied British veterans the honour of wearing their medal on Remembrance Day and other formal occasions! Why have they done that? Why have they asked the Queen not to approve the PJM for formal wear by British citizens? Because if they had done so, then the MoD would have had to check service records and they told us last year that they didn't want to do that, and that their way out was to have the medal treated as a mere, unwearable, keepsake.

Then, when we queried their incongruous decision, they told us that we should be more grateful for what they had done for us!

That's how British veterans are regarded by Whitehall and the civil servants who make these mean-spirited decisions in the name of the Queen - who has, by the way, given permission for our ex-comrades in arms from Australia and New Zealand to wear their PJM (the civil servants were powerless to stop Her).

Thank you again,

Barry Fleming
Fighting for the Right to Wear the PJM at
W: http://www.fight4thePJM.org
E: mailto:barry@fight4thePJM.org
"Pingat Kami - Hak Kami"

Stockbridge Cottage
Inkpen Common
Inkpen
Hungerford
RG17 9QP

T: 01488 668 100"


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BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia
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Following Barry's excellent lead......

The Editor – Sunday Post

Dear Sir,

I write to you today as Chairman of a worldwide association that represents 35000 Malaya/Borneo veterans and next-of-kin of fallen comrades, eligible to receive the Pingat Jasa Malaysia.

My grateful thanks to The Sunday Post and to Stephen Bowron, ("Soldiers Up In Arms Over Medal Delay", Sunday 29th July 2007), for publicly exposing something of the controversy surrounding the disgraceful treatment accorded Britain's Malay/Borneo veterans.

The controversy, initiated by the HD Committee's absurd conclusion, which prevents the aforementioned vet's, now all senior citizens, from wearing the honour conferred upon them by a grateful Malaysian nation, and further exacerbated by persistently repeated obstructionist tactics by high ranking civil servants from both, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office.

Ministry of Defence refusal to become involved in the distribution of this medal was NOT, as suggested, due to any mere lack of understanding of the logistical problems involved…indeed, it was a cynically calculated decision to studiously ignore those problems, in order to minimize the effort required by MoD staff. The fact, that the onus of providing that application and distribution process was placed upon the shoulders of elderly retired veterans themselves is indefensible.

At every juncture, complaints and questions from my members have been stonewalled and obstructed. We have been misdirected, misinformed and even ignored; we have been publicly belittled as ‘disaffected veterans’ and actually told that we should indeed be ‘grateful’ for any consideration we have received!


Despite the fact of their advancing years, let no-one doubt that these veterans have NOT forgotten how to fight. They are currently organized, at http://www.fight4thepjm.org/ with the avowed intention of reversing the initial flawed decision, which was reached by clandestine, undemocratic and arbitrary manipulation of an anachronistic, Imperial Honours system.

It is my sincere hope that you may find some additional time and space to further highlight our concerns.

Sincerely,

John ‘Jock’ Fenton
Chairman – Fight4thePJM Association

Address supplied


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...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.
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The mighty MOD have found time to fully support an RAF Civvie typist in her claim for a £1/2milion for a bruised thumb though.

We must applaud ther steadfastness in supporting such a grave injury - now what about the wounded servicemen, or even the ex-servicemen, maybe a liitle effort in helping the MHC to identify and distribute the PJM wouldn't come amiss either ?! Rolling Eyes

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Post Sunday Post 
Copy of my email to the Sunday Post

Dear Sirs;
Thank you for highlighting the plight of us Malay/Borneo Veterans it is very much appreciated. Senior Civil Servants the very people who are suppose to help the British Public have been doing the very opposite; as long as their pensions and gongs are safe they do not care one jot for us Veterans. Well there’s a Country many thousands of miles away in the Far East that does care, it showed its appreciation by awarding the Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal to us Veterans, all we ask is that we be allowed to wear it, but no says the unelected Civil Servants who are quick enough to award themselves permission to wear a foreign medal, just ask Sir Robin Janvrin who just happens to be on the Honours & Decorations Committee. The MoD has been obstructive in this matter from day one, why?

Once again many thanks
Paul Alders

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Well, there's my 'Threepennoth'

I would like to thank the Sunday Post, and in paticular Stephen Bowron, for bringing to the public attention the most shameful action (or perhaps I shold say, inaction !) by the MOD, and the HD Committee, with regard to the handling of the Malasian Service Medal (PJM).

Not only, from the onset, have the MOD insulted the generocity and friendship of the Malaysian people by their washing their hands of processing the application forms and leaving it to Mr Fred Burton of the National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association, but to add insult to injury the Honours and Decorations Committee then refuse the wearing of the Medal.

The reasons given, so they say, were on the following two points -

1) It is long standing Government policy that medals will not be approved for events that took place in the distant past (More than 5 years)

2)Where the recipient has recieved a British Award for the same Service.

There are MANY examples of this, so called, long standing Rule being waved for certain medals to be allowed, recent cases being the 50th Anniversary Medal of Malta GC, and the 50th Anniversary Russian Convoy Medal, so it is tripe to imply theyare hardened and steadfast rules. It would seem that whether or not a medal is allowed depends on which side of the bed this unelected body of Civil Servants get out on.
The Malaysians (who SHOULD know) see this conflict to have extended over more years than the MOD Civil Servants do, therefore there is a period where many veterans, eligible under the Malaysian timescale but not the British, will NOT have recieved a British medal, so how can the HD Committee justify refusal to wear by respect of 2) above?

Vetrans are contantly advised that if in doubt as to if a foreign medal can be worn they shold refer to the London Gazette.
The London Gazette of 3rd May 1968 states, 'Orders, Decorations, and Medals, conferred by Members of the Commonwealth of which the Queen is not Head of State, and by Foreign Countries. The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve that Orders, Decorations, and Medals, confered with Her Majesty's permission upon United Kingdom citizens, not being servants of the Crown, by the Heads of Governments of Commonwealth countries as defined above, or of foreign States, may in all cases be worn by the recipients without restriction.
This statement HAS NOT been resinded or ammended by a further publication to the effect, and therefore STILL stands !

I firmly believe they had overlooked the existance of this LG Statement, but when they were made aware of it, and reminded that when the Queen accepted the medal we were not Crown Servants but retired veterans, their response was to say that we WERE Crown Servants when the medal was earned, and that under the Rules we remain so in respect of the wearing of medals.

Having denied the proud veterans of the Malaysian campaign of their medal on the grounds of the above, they proved just what a bunch of hypocrites they are, for they gave their recomendations to the Queen to accept a medal from the government of Antigua and Barbuda which was issued to celebrate thier 25th Anniversary of Indipendance in the knowledge that one Senior member of their Committee (Sir Robin Janvrin) was to be a recipient, as were two members of Staff of another.
Not only does THAT medal contravene the 'Long Standing' rule levied against the PJM, but as Sir Robin, and the two members of Staff, are STILL Crown Servants, then it also renders them inelligable under the Gazette statement....But then ther's one Rule for us, and another for them !

It is my hope that, now this matter has been raised in the House by Don Touig, Gordon Brown will let these self appointed 'Gods' know it is he, NOT them, who runs this country.

Regards,
Fred Steele

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That's no 'Threepennoth Fred....that's full shillin'!


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Last edited by StanW on Mon Apr 14, 2008 1:26 am; edited 1 time in total
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Post Re: The PJM Distribution Problems 
BarryF wrote:
The mean-spirited and incongruous PJM decision has enabled the MoD, FCO and Cabinet Office (with all their resources and OBE's in the offing) to shift the whole weight of distributing the PJM onto the shoulders of British veterans.

I was told last year by a civil servant in the MoD that one reason that the PJM would not be given permission to be worn was that if it were to be wearable the MoD would have to check records and that would cost them time and money. It beggar's belief!

We have always believed this to be the reason for the recommendation (it's in our Rebuttal).

The Sunday Post (their copyright dated 29 July 2007) has highlighted the issue ... Read this:

http://www.fight4thepjm.org/documents/Media_Coverage/Sunday_Post_Medal_Distribution_290707.jpg

Go to their newspaper and leave a message!

http://www.dcthomson.co.uk/MAGS/POST/news4.htm




Dear Editor,

Congratulations to the Sunday Post for publishing the article by Stephen Bowron, "Soldiers Up In Arms Over Medal Delay", Sunday 29th July 2007.

Your newspaper has highlighted how in todays 21st century UK veterans have been treated worse than veterans of the 19 century.

Had todays Honours and Awards Committee been advisors to Queen Victoria the returning soldiers from the Crimean War would have been forbidden to wear the 'Turkish Crimean Medal' along with their ‘British Crimea medal’ because of nonsensensial views on doublemedaling.

www.royalengineers.ca/tc.html

Yours sincerely

Malaya Borneo Veteran
www.fight4thepjm.org

Name & Address given.

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I am probably a bit late on this one - but here is the article from the Sunday Post 29 July 2007.

http://www.dcthomson.co.uk/MAGS/POST/news4.htm

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One point to bear in mind is the fact that those who are assisting in organising the presentation ceremonys are having to self finance the costs.We have been forced into the situation of having to ask all recipients for a donation towards the cost involved.Believe it or not most recipients are more than willing to donate yet some are abusive when asked,they seem to think its their medal so why should they pay for it.Perhaps those wingers should organise one them selves then they will discover just how expensive it is.Those NMBVA branches who organise these Presentation Ceremonies recieve NO financial assistance whatsoever from the NMBVA,or the MOD.
Its a hard job,a labour of love, just be patient and we will get there one day.


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