The Council of Datuk Dato’ Malaysia (MDDM) has lodged a police report over a social media influencer’s alleged misuse of a Datuk title, urging her to acknowledge the mistake and stop using the honorific.
The council said the influencer initially claimed the title Datuk Panglima Wilayah (DPW) online, a designation that does not exist and is not listed in any official Malaysian honours registry. She later removed the DPW references from her social media accounts but reposted a revised announcement citing the Panglima Mahkota Wilayah, a legitimate Federal Territory award. However, her name does not appear on official records, and she continues to identify herself as “Datuk Dr” on Instagram.
“We simply want her to acknowledge that this should not have happened and remove all her posts. This is not proper in the eyes of the public or our royalty,” said MDDM president Samson David Maman after filing the report at Ampang Jaya police station.
The council also noted that the influencer claimed the award was conferred by the Imbued Impact Foundation in 2020. Checks revealed the foundation is not officially registered and has no authority to bestow Datukships. The foundation later clarified on Facebook that the DPW designation is an internal honorary acknowledgment, not a Malaysian state or federal title, and advised the public to verify honours through the Government Gazette.
Samson said the conflicting claims had caused public confusion. Misusing or falsely claiming unrecognised titles carries serious penalties under the Offences Relating to Awards Act 2017 (Act 787).
“This is a criminal offence. People should review Act 787 because the penalties can be severe,” he warned, emphasizing that legitimate titles must be conferred in person by legally authorised individuals.
He added, “Check the validity of any title. You cannot receive it by post or mail. If it is not conferred in person, it is not valid.” Police have informed the council that the investigation will examine potential offences by both the influencer and the foundation.
