The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

federal award Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The order was instituted on 6 August 1958 and initially had the five highest ranks. The medal was added on 19 August 1960.

Order ranks

The order has six ranks:

Grand Commander

* Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (S.M.N.) ().Official Malay monarchy website
, Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara (S.M.N.), photo of the decoration This rank is limited to 25 living recipients at any time, except foreign citizens who are conferred honorary awards. The recipient of this award receives the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

''Tun'' and his wife ''Toh Puan''. The collar comprises the crests of the states in Malaysia with an eleven-pointed star made of gold-plated silver. The ribbon is of dark blue silk and has yellow stripes on both the edges. It has a central white stripe, charged with a smaller red stripe in its middle.

Commander

* Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (P.M.N.) () It is limited to 75 living recipients at any time, excluding foreign citizens who are conferred honorary awards. The recipient of this award receives the title ''Tan Sri'' and the recipient's wife takes the title of ''Puan Sri''. The Star is made of gold-plated silver and so is the badge but smaller in size. The ribbon has white stripes on both the edges and red stripes in the centre. The red stripes lie on the yellow stripes. The end of the ribbon is tied with a ribbon and the badge suspends from below the ribbon.

Companion

* Companion of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (J.M.N.) () Living recipients are limited to 700 only at any time, excluding foreign citizens who receive it as an honorary award. It does not carry any title. The badge of the Johan Mangku Negara is an eleven-pointed star made of gold-plated silver. Each point is white and in between are a star and crescent moon. They are made of gold-plated silver. In the centre of the star is a white circle decorated with carvings of the Malaysian Royal Crown. The badge has a radius of 2¼ inches. It suspends from a ribbon which is of the same colour as that of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm but has narrower stripes. The badge is worn around the neck. The badge for women has a ribbon which is tied in a bow. The badge suspends from the bow and is pinned to the chest.

Officer

* Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (K.M.N.) () There is no limit to the number of persons to be awarded this honour. It can also be conferred on foreign citizens as an honorary award. It does not carry any title. The badge of the Kesatria Mangku Negara is similar in shape as that of the Johan Mangku Negara. It has a radius of 2 inches. The badge suspends from a riband measuring 1½ inches. The ribbon is of the same colour as that of the Johan Setia Negara. There is a kris on the ribbon, upright with its blade pointing downward. The kris is enclosed in a circle. The badge is pinned on the chest. For the women, the ribbon is tied in a bow and the badge suspends from below the knot of the bow. The kris in the circle is pinned on the bow of the ribbon.

Member

* Member of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (A.M.N.) ()Official Malay monarchy website
Ahli Mangku Negara (A.M.N.), photo of the decoration There is no limit to the number to be awarded this honour. It can also be conferred on foreign citizens as an honorary award. The design the badge is the same as that of the Darjah Kesatria Mangku Negara but the kris lies in the centre. The badge has a radius of 1¾ inches. It is pinned to the chest. It suspends from a riband which is of the same colour as that of the Kesatria Mangku Negara. For women, the riband is tied in a bow and the badge suspends from below the centre of the bow.

Medal

* Medal of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (P.P.N.) ()Official Malay monarchy website
Pingat Pangkuan Negara (P.P.N.), photo of the decoration There is no limit to the number to be honored with this award. It can also be conferred on foreign citizens as an honorary award. It does not carry any title. The Pangkuan Negara medal is round and made of silver. On the surface is a carving of the Malaysian Royal Crown. The slogan ''DIPELIHARAKAN ALLAH'' is surmounted on the Crown. The alphabets are in Roman and Jawi. Under the Malaysian Royal Crown is another inscription, ''PANGKUAN NEGARA'', also in Roman and Jawi alphabets. At the back of the badge is the Federal Crest with the inscription ''JASA CEMERLANG'' in Roman and Jawi. The badge suspends from a ribbon, which is of the same shape and colour as that of the Ahli Mangku Negara and is about 1½ inches wide.

Recipients

Official source

Grand Commanders (S.M.N.)

The grand commander receives the title ''Tun'' and his wife ''Toh Puan''. * 1958: Tunku Kurshiah * 1958: Tunku Ismail * 1958: Tunku Munawir * 1958: Tengku Yahya Petra * 1958:

Leong Yew Koh Leong Yew Koh (; 22 August 1888 – 12 January 1963) was a Malayan politician who served as the 1st Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca from the independence of the Federation of Malaya in August 1957 to August 1959 and Minister of Health from ...

* 1958:

Raja Uda Raja Uda ibni Raja Muhammad (15 December 1894 – 17 October 1976) was a Malaysian statesman during the country's struggle for independence and its early years of nationhood. He was a civil servant under the British colonial administration, an ...

* 1958: Tan Cheng Lock * 1959:

Abdul Razak Hussein Abdul Razak bin Dato’ Hussein (; 11 March 1922 – 14 January 1976) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the second prime minister of Malaysia from 1970 until his death in 1976. He also served as the first Deputy Prime Minis ...

* 1959: Henry Lee Hau Shik * 1959: Tengku Budriah * 1961: Abdul Malek Yusuf * 1963:

Yusof Ishak Yusof bin Ishak Al-Haj ( ; 12 August 191023 November 1970) was a Singaporean journalist and civil servant who served as the head of state of Singapore from 1959 to 1970. He initially served as the second Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore b ...

* 1964: Abang Openg * 1964:

Mustapha Harun Datu Mustapha bin Datu Harun, or Tun Mustapha for short (31 July 1918 – 2 January 1995), was a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician who served as the 3rd Chief Minister of Sabah from May 1967 to November 1975 and the 1st Yang di-Pertua Nege ...

* 1967:

Pengiran Ahmad Raffae Pengiran Ahmad Raffae bin Pengiran Omar (4 November 1907 – 18 March 1995) was the second Governor of the Malaysian state of Sabah. Personal life Tun Pengiran Haji Ahmad Raffae was born on 4 November 1907 at Sipitang, then located in Beaufort, ...

* 1968:

Syed Sheh Shahabudin Syed Sheh bin Syed Abdullah Shahabudin (28 February 1912 – 31 January 1969) was the Governor of the Malaysian state of Penang from 1967 to 1969. Honours Honours of Malaysia * : ** Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (PMN ...

* 1970:

Syed Sheh Barakbah Tun Syed Sheh Al-Haj bin Syed Hassan Barakbah (10 November 1906 – 8 October 1975) was a prominent Malaysian judge. He was the second Lord President of the Federal Court, and the first Malaysian to hold that office. After his career in the ju ...

* 1970:

Tuanku Bujang Tuanku Bujang bin Tuanku Othman (; 12 December 1898 – 28 November 1986) was a Malaysian politician who served as the 2nd Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sarawak from 1969 to 1977. Early life Born to a renowned Malay family in Sibu with di ...

* 1970:

Sharifah Rodziah Barakbah Tun Sharifah Rodziah binti Syed Alwi Barakbah (; 1920 – 12 March 2000) was the third wife of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, the founding father and first Prime Minister of Malaysia. Early life Born in 1920, Sharifah Rodziah is of Hadhr ...

* 1972:

Abdul Aziz Abdul Majid Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Majid (12 March 1907 – 10 May 1975) was the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca from 1971 to 1975. He also served as Menteri Besar in two states from 1952 to 1956. Early life He was educated at the Kajang High School in Ka ...

* 1975:

Fuad Stephens Muhammad Fuad Stephens, (born Donald Aloysius Marmaduke Stephens; 14 September 1920 – 6 June 1976) was a Malaysian politician who served as the 1st and 5th Chief Minister of Sabah from September 1963 to December 1964 and again briefly from ...

* 1976: Sardon Jubir * 1976: Syed Zahiruddin * 1977:

Mohd Hamdan Abdullah Malay titles, Tun Mohd Hamdan bin Abdullah (born Indan bin Kari; 22 February 1922 – 10 October 1977) was the fourth Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Governor of the Malaysian state of Sabah. Personal life Tun Mohd Hamdan was born on 22 February 1922 a ...

* 1978: Abang Muhammad Salahuddin * 1978:

Ahmad Koroh Tun Ahmad Koroh (born Thomas Koroh; 1 January 1925 – 25 June 1978) was the fifth Governor of the Malaysian state of Sabah. He was the nephew of Sedomon Gunsanad Kina as well as the matriline grandson of Gunsanad Kina through his mother, Ma ...

* 1979:

Mohamad Adnan Robert Tun Mohamad Adnan Robert (born Michael "Mickey" Robert; 10 September 1917 – 2 August 2003) was the sixth Governor of the Malaysian state of Sabah. Honours Honour of Malaysia * : ** Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm ...

* 1981:

Hussein Onn Hussein bin Onn (; 12 February 1922 – 29 May 1990) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the third Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1976 to 1981. Early life, family and education Hussein Onn was born on 12 February 1922 in Jo ...

* 1982:

Abdul Rahman Ya'kub Abdul Rahman bin Ya'kub (; 3 January 1928 – 9 January 2015) was a Malaysian politician of Melanau descent from Mukah. He was the third Chief Minister of Sarawak and the fourth Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak (Governor of Sarawak). He is als ...

* 1982: Awang Hassan * 1987: Tunku Ibrahim Ismail * 1989: Ahmad Zaidi Adruce * 1989: Hamdan Sheikh Tahir * 1989:

Mohammad Said Keruak Mohammad Said bin Keruak (15 November 1925 – 17 November 1995) was a Malaysian politician who served as the 7th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah from January 1987 to December 1994 and 4th Chief Minister of Sabah briefly from November 1975 to ...

* 1989: Syed Ahmad Shahabuddin * 1996: Sakaran Dandai * 2001: Abdul Rahman Abbas * 2003: Ahmadshah Abdullah * 2003:

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...

* 2004:

Mohd Khalil Yaakob Mohd Khalil bin Yaakob ( Jawi: محمد خليل بن يعقوب; born 29 December 1937) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 6th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca from June 2004 to June 2020, 12th Menteri Besar of Pahang from August ...

, 6th Yang di-Pertuan Negeri of Malacca * 2009:

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi (, ; 26 November 1939 – 14 April 2025), also known as Pak Lah, was a Malaysian politician and civil servant who served as the fifth prime minister of Malaysia from 2003 to 2009. A member of UMNO, he was the party's ...

* 2011: Juhar Mahiruddin, 10th Yang di-Pertuan Negeri of Sabah * 2014: Abdul Taib Mahmud, 7th Yang di-Pertuan Negeri of Sarawak * 2020: Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam, 7th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca * 2021: Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak, 8th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang * 2024:

Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , born 1 February 1946) is a Malaysian politician, lawyer and former senior police officer who is the eighth and current Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak. He previously served as the 19th Pre ...

, 8th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak * 2024:

Musa Aman Musa bin Aman (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: موسى بن حاج أمان; born 30 March 1951) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 11th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah since January 2025. He served as the 14th Chief Minister of Sabah from M ...

, 11th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah * 2025:

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9th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang

Commanders (P.M.N.)

The commander receives the title ''Tan Sri'' and his wife ''Puan Sri''.

Honorary recipients

Honorary Grand Commanders (S.M.N. (K))

* 1958: Lim Yew Hock, Chief Minister of Singapore * 1959:

Djuanda Kartawidjaja Djuanda Kartawidjaja ( EYD: Juanda Kartawijaya; 14 January 1911 – 7 November 1963), more commonly referred to mononymously as Djuanda, was an Indonesian politician and technocrat who held various positions during the presidency of Sukarno ...

, Prime Minister of Indonesia * 1960:

Gerald Templer Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer (11 September 1898 – 25 October 1979) was a senior British Army officer. He fought in both the world wars and took part against the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Pales ...

, British High Commissioner in Malaya * 1962: Thanat Khoman, Foreign Minister of Thailand * 1962:

Thanom Kittikachorn Thanom Kittikachorn (, , ; 11 August 1911 – 16 June 2004) was Prime Minister of Thailand from 1963 to 1973, military officer, who supported and initiated military coups and became Thailand's defence minister. He rose to power when he staged a ...

, Prime Minister of Thailand * 1963: Norodom Monineath, Queen consort of Cambodia * 1964: Dhani Nivat, Member of the Thai royal family * 1964:

Hayato Ikeda was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1960 to 1964. He is best known for his Income Doubling Plan, which promised to double the size of Japan's economy in 10 years, and for presiding over the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. ...

, Prime Minister of Japan * 1964:

Masayoshi Ōhira was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1978 until his death in 1980. Born in Kagawa Prefecture, Ōhira worked in the Ministry of Finance from 1936, and served as the private secretary to Hayato Ikeda, finance mi ...

, Foreign Minister of Japan * 1964: Norodom Kantol, Prime Minister of Cambodia * 1964: Prapas Charusathien, Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army * 1964: Wan Waithayakon, Member of the Thai royal family * 1965:

Abdel Hakim Amer Mohamed Abdel Hakim Amer (, ; 11 December 1919 – 13 September 1967), better known as Abdel Hakim Amer, was an Egyptian military officer and politician. Amer served in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and played a leading role in the military ...

, Vice President of Egypt * 1965: Ali Sabri, Vice President of Egypt * 1965:

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until Assassination of Anwar Sadat, his assassination by fundame ...

, Vice President of Egypt * 1965: Zein al-Sharaf Talal, Queen Mother of Jordan * 1965: Firyal, Spouse of Muhammad bin Talal * 1965: Hassan bin Talal, Crown Prince of Jordan * 1965: Hassan Ibrahim, Vice President of Egypt * 1965: Hussein el-Shafei, Vice President of Egypt * 1965: Chung Il-kwon, Prime Minister of South Korea * 1965: Muhammad bin Talal, Member of the Jordanian royal family * 1965: Muna al-Hussein, Princess Consort of Jordan * 1965:

Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (; 8 September 1930 – 23 July 2011) was a South Vietnamese military officer and politician who served as the chief of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force in the 1960s, before leading the nation as the prime minister of Sout ...

, Prime Minister of South Vietnam * 1965: Hussein ibn Nasser, Prime Minister of Jordan * 1965:

Wasfi al-Tal Wasfi Tal (; also known as Wasfi Tell; 1920 – 28 November 1971) was a Jordanian politician, statesman and military officer. He served as the 15th Prime Minister of Jordan for three separate terms, 1962–63, 1965–67 and 1970 until his assass ...

, Prime Minister of Jordan * 1965: Zakaria Mohieddin, Vice President of Egypt * 1966: Chang Kay Young * 1966: James Beveridge Thomson, Lord President of the Federal Court of Malaysia * 1967: Albert II, Member of the Belgian royal family * 1967:

Eisaku Satō was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1964 to 1972. He is the third longest-serving Japanese prime minister, and is ranked second by longest uninterrupted service. Satō is best remembered for securing the return ...

, Prime Minister of Japan * 1970:

Adam Malik Adam Malik Batubara (22 July 1917 – 5 September 1984) was an Indonesians, Indonesian politician, diplomat, and journalist, who served as the third vice president of Indonesia from 1978 until 1983, under President Suharto. Previously, he serv ...

, Foreign Minister of Indonesia * 1970: Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Member of the House of Saud * 1971:

Souvanna Phouma Prince Souvanna Phouma (; 7 October 1901 – 10 January 1984) was the leader of the neutralist faction and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Laos several times (1951–1954, 1956–1958, 1960, and 1962–1975). Early life Souvanna Phouma was the ...

, Prime Minister of Laos * 1975:

Kukrit Pramoj Mom Rajawongse Kukrit Pramoj (, , ; 20 April 1911 – 9 October 1995) was a Thai politician, author, scholar and professor. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand between 1973 and 1974. He was the thirteenth Prime Minister o ...

, Prime Minister of Thailand * 1979:

Kriangsak Chamanan Kriangsak Chamanan (, ; 17 December 191723 December 2003) served as list of Prime Ministers of Thailand, prime minister of Thailand from 1977 to 1980. After staging a successful coup, he was asked to become Prime Minister in 1977. He ruled until ...

, Prime Minister of Thailand * 1982: Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia * 1984:

Elena Ceaușescu Elena Ceaușescu (; born Lenuța Petrescu; 7 January 1916 – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician who was the wife of Nicolae Ceaușescu, General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party and leader of the Socialist Republic o ...

, First Lady of Romania * 1984:

Prem Tinsulanonda Prem Tinsulanonda (, , ; 26 August 1920 – 26 May 2019) was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 1980 to 1988. During Prem’s tenure as prime minister, he was credited with end ...

, Prime Minister of Thailand * 1989: Jefri Bolkiah, Member of the Bruneian royal family * 1995: Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden * 2000: Maha Vajiralongkorn, Crown Prince of Thailand * 2000: Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Member of the House of Saud * 2001:

Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa () (24 November 1935 – 11 November 2020) was a Bahraini royal and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bahrain, prime minister of Bahrain from 10 January 1970 until his death in 2020. He took office ov ...

, Prime Minister of Bahrain * 2003: Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia * 2003:

Marcello Pera Marcello Pera (; born 28 January 1943) is an Italian philosopher and politician. He was the president of the Italian Senate from 2001 to 2006.

, President of the Italian Senate * 2003:

Pier Ferdinando Casini Pier Ferdinando Casini (; born 3 December 1955) is an Italian politician. He served as President of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy), President of the Chamber of Deputies from 2001 to 2006. Casini is the honorary president of the Centrist Democra ...

, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies * 2005: Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden * 2010: Moza bint Nasser, Consort to the Emir of Qatar * 2011:

Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 11 March 1961), also known as MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who is serving as the third and current president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi since 2022. Mohamed completed his e ...

, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi * 2012:

Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following 2019 Japanese imperial transition, the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, ...

, Crown Prince of Japan * 2012: Masako, Crown Princess of Japan * 2023: Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi

Honorary Commanders (P.M.N. (K))

The honorary commander were also receives the title Tan Sri and his wife Puan Sri.

References

External links

Malaysia: Most Distinguished Order of the Defender of the Realm
{{Orders, decorations, and medals of Singapore Defender of the Realm Defender of the Realm, Order of the Awards established in 1958 1958 establishments in Malaya