Is Fan Bingbing’s Datukship worthy accolade for a Melaka ambassador or a case of ‘syiok sendiri’?
A TITLE conferred for boosting tourism in Melaka or just a syiok sendiri (slang for “self-gratification”) exercise?
That seems to be the question some online commenters are asking about the conferment of the title “Datuk” to popular actress Fan Bingbing.
On Monday (Aug 24), the thespian from China was conferred the Darjah Pangkuan Seri Melaka (D.P.S.M) award that carries the title “Datuk” in conjunction with the 76th birthday celebrations of Melaka governor Tun Mohd Ali Rustam.
Appointed Melaka Friendship Tourism Ambassador in May last year, Fan’s three-day visit in June 2024 managed to stimulate the state’s tourism sector with 1.2 billion searches about her and Melaka, according to the New Straits Times.
The move is reminiscent of the awarding of a Datukship to Shah Rukh Khan in 2008, also by the state of Melaka. It was given to the Bollywood superstar in recognition of his contribution to Malaysian tourism as some of his films were shot in the state.
Clip of Fan at the award ceremony was shared on Melaka Hari Ini’s Facebook page with many commenters keen to share their thoughts on the model and singer being made a Datuk.
Given the current heated climate surrounding race relations in the country, some commenters just could not disguise their racist views, seeing this as a colonial move by the Chinese.
Others made the international actress’s linguistic skills a point of contention as she had given a post-event interview in Mandarin, not quite grasping that the purpose of appointing My Fair Princess actress as ambassador was to boost tourist arrivals from mainland China.
Some incredulously even expected the star who has appeared in an X-Men film to be conversant in Bahasa Malaysia – or to at least to converse in English.
One commenter openly questioned why a mainlander was being conferred a Datukship, querying just what the 43-year-old actress has contributed to the state economy.
This keyboard warrior was obviously oblivious to the stats revealing a massive spike in searches on Melaka after she was appointed tourism ambassador for the historic state.
It was also asked were there no local artistes that could have been appointed to do the same – conveniently ignoring the fact that very few, if any, domestic celebrities share the same international profile as the Cell Phone actress.
Furthermore, the move was designed to lure visitors from China with the numbers showing it to be an apparent success.
One commenter noted that titles in Malaysia are handed out too cheaply. Comparing the scenario to the UK, it was pointed out that F1 driver Lewis Hamilton was conferred a knighthood only after winning repeated world titles.
Whether one agrees with the conferment of the title, the debate should centre around the effectiveness of the tourism campaign.
Was Fan successful in boosting tourist arrivals to Melaka? It should have nothing to do with whether she is Type C or otherwise. – Aug 26, 2025
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Shah Rukh Khan was OK 'coz not Type C
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