GEORGE TOWN: In his first honours’ list as the eighth Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak has conferred state awards on 1,036 recipients in conjunction with his 72nd birthday celebration.

       The list is led by Toh Puan Khadijah Mohd Nor, the consort of the Penang Governor. She was conferred the Darjah Utama Pangkuan Negeri (DUPN), which comes with the title “Datuk Seri Utama”.

       Two individuals were awarded the Darjah Panglima Pangkuan Negeri (DPPN), which carries the Datuk Seri title.

       They are Media Prima Bhd Group chairman Datuk Dr Syed Hussian Syed Junid and former Maybank chairman Datuk Mohaiyani Shamsudin.

       State Speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang said the Penang Governor had agreed to confer 148 state awards, comprising DUPN, DPPN, Darjah Gemilang Pangkuan Negeri (DGPN), Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negeri (DMPN) and Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) this year.“The list of the state award recipients will be gazetted on Thursday. The recipients can use their respective titles after the list is gazetted,” he told a press conference in Komtar yesterday.

       Both DPPN and DGPN carry the title Datuk Seri, while DMPN and DSPN come with the title Datuk.

       Among the notable DGPN recipients are PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd group chief executive and managing director Datuk Michael Tio, former Penang police chief Comm Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan and Titular Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang Rev Datuk Sebastian Francis.

       Others who have been conferred Datukships are Road Transport Department director-general Datuk Zailani Hashim (DMPN), Court of Appeal judge Nantha Balan ES Moorthy (DSPN), One Hope Charity and Welfare chairman Chua Sui Hau (DSPN), Penang Hospital Infectious Disease specialist Dr Chow Ting Soo (DSPN), Buddhist Tzu Chi Merits Society Malaysia commissioner Khoo Boo Leong (DSPN) and Balik Pulau MP Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (DSPN).Law said the names of the remaining 888 recipients of state medals and awards for the Darjah Johan Negeri (DJN), Bintang Cemerlang Negeri (BCN), Pingat Kelakuan Terpuji (PKT), Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK), Pingat Jasa Masyarakat (PJM) and Pingat Bakti Setia (PBS) would be published on the Penang ePingat website.

       Penang secretary Datuk Abdul Razak Jaafar, who was bestowed the DGPN award, said in line with the current Covid-19 situation and the National Recovery Plan, the investiture ceremony had been postponed to a later date.

       Ahmad Fuzi was sworn in as the eighth Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang on Labour Day. The former Bukit Mertajam High School boy succeeded Tun Dr Abdul Rahman Abbas, who had served as the state’s seventh governor since 2001.