PM Lee to receive highest state honour from Johor Sultan

Quoting a statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the report said Lee and Ho will visit the state to attend the ceremony, which will be held at the Istana Besar in Johor Bahru.

Lee will be conferred the title of Dato' Sri Paduka Mahkota Johor, or SPMJ for short, which means Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor, First Class.

The order of chivalry is the oldest order given by any state of Malaysia, and was instituted in 1886 based on the English Order of St Michael and St George.

Previous Singapore recipients include then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and then law minister E. W. Barker, who were given the award in 1984, and then prime minister Goh Chok Tong, who was given the award in 1991, said the report.

Meanwhile, Ho will be the first Singaporean to be conferred the title of Dato' Sri Mulia Sultan Ibrahim Johor, or SMIJ for short. It means Grand Commander of the Order of Sultan Ibrahim of Johor, First Class.

The report said the personal order of chivalry was commissioned by Sultan Ibrahim in 2015 to commemorate his coronation, and comprises the Sovereign and three designated classes of membership - Grand Commander, Commander and Companion.

Lee and wife will be accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam, and officials from the PMO and the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs and Communications and Information, said the report.

After the presentation of state honours on Friday, Sultan Ibrahim will host an official brunch in honour of Lee and Ho.

Members of the Johor royal family and the royal court, as well as Johor state government representatives, will attend the proceedings, it said.