Although stripped of one award by the Selangor sultan, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim can still be addressed as ‘Datuk Seri’.
 
This is because Anwar has seven more awards that carry the title, according to a check on the website of the Prime Minister’s Department’s Ceremonies and International Conventions Secretariat Division.
 
These include awards from royal and gubernatorial palaces of Perlis (1995), Perak (1995), Pahang (1990), Penang (1994), Sabah (1994), and several others.
 
In addition, there is a second award from Penang that carries the title ‘Dato’, which was awarded to Anwar in 1991.
 
The Selangor palace had announced earlier today that Anwar is stripped of the The Order of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah (SSSA) award effective yesterday.
 
The award carries the title ‘Dato Sri Setia’ and was awarded to him in 1992.

This sparked talk whether Anwar can still be addressed as ‘Datuk Seri’ or by his popular moniker DSAI, which is the acronym for ‘Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’.
 
However, owing to his years in government service until he was sacked from the deputy prime minister post in 1998, he has accumulated many such awards from various states.
 
All of his awards were given between 1990 and 1995. He was appointed deputy prime minister in 1993.
 
Anwar's first was the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang, awarded in 1990 and carries the title “Datuk Sri’.
 
At the time, Anwar was serving as the MP of Permatang Pauh, president of Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA), minister of education, and president of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) general conference.


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