KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 — Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali said today she returned two honours to the Selangor palace of her own volition and not because of any coercion from her husband, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
In a one-minute video posted on the former prime minister's official Facebook page, Dr Siti Hasmah explained that her decision was in support of Dr Mahathir, who also sent back two medals he was previously conferred by the Selangor royal house.
“No, He (Dr Mahathir) didn’t force me; I voluntarily returned the royal awards to the palace because I thought if my husband felt that way, as a wife, I should sympathise with him and support his wishes,” she said in the video.
“I am a Selangor native and received these high awards from the state, but due to the recent incidents, I felt I needed to support my husband's wishes by returning these awards,” Dr Siti Hasmah added.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir reportedly returned last Thursday his awards obtained in 1978 and 2003; Dr Siti Hasmah was also said to have done so.
His decision to return the awards came shortly after the current Selangor ruler publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Dr Mahathir over the latter’s comments calling the Bugis community “pirates.”
Dr Mahathir has repeatedly stressed that his remarks were directed at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak alone, but this was not enough to mollify the Bugis community, several NGOs, and even Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar.
Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah noted during a recent interview that Dr Mahathir did not apologise over the slur, adding that the former prime minister “never apologises”.
The Selangor royal house has consented to Dr Mahathir and Dr Siti Hasmah’s return of the awards, after confirming their receipt.
In a statement issued by the Selangor palace today, the cancellation of the awards will be gazetted according to due procedure.
