December 5, 2012
In Defence of Our Realm
by S Thayaparan*@http://www.malaysiakini.com
“As the society’s needs evolve, the Police Force must also evolve to meet new needs and assure the public of their safety.” – Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (Bernama)
COMMENT: All this UMNO ‘war talk’ of late naturally leads to the question of the role of the Malaysian Armed Forces in the event of the repeat of a ‘May 13′ scenario, which UMNO foresees will occur if BN loses federal power.
The most common question people who read my Malaysiakini comment pieces ask is, “Which side will the Armed Forces take?”
My answer is, “No side, hopefully”. But this rather glib response masks some very real concerns on my part (and of many other retired Military and Police personnel as well) about the negative perception of the Armed Forces by the general public.
This would, no doubt, have been cultivated by the atrocious partisan posturing of the military powers-that-be.
Pro-Opposition (a good friend and comrade-in-arms for a better Malaysia) blogger Zorrounmasked in his blog post ‘Think out of your tanks, think-tanks’ asks, nay demands, that the military top brass reaffirm in a very public manner their impartiality (no matter the outcome) during the coming general election.
In his words: “This is no time for pundits and know-alls to expound their feel-good or doomsday wares. This is the time the rakyat wants assurance that whichever way they exercise their vote, the outcome is for a better Malaysia through a smooth transition into Putrajaya! And this assurance can only come out from the mouths of the Generals and the Inspector-General of Police as per the oath they took.”
I will end this piece with why I think this is a futile demand, but as a retired military officer, I am sympathetic to those who need this assurance and am mortified (for my former profession) that it needs to be given in the first place.
‘Coyness’ of the PM
To be honest, this question, or fear if you like, has been on my mind for some time now. The coyness of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in not coming out and directly stating that there will be a smooth transition of power is alarming.
Surely, such a basic reassurance of the most mundane of democratic practices would not be an issue for a regime that aims to be the “best democracy in the world”?
Instead, what we have been ‘promised’, by no less a person than former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is that the Opposition will “take to the streets” if they lose this election.
There were constant references to Egypt and other populist revolutions across the globe. Malaysians were ‘warned’ to be grateful for the peace and stability that UMNO offers and the war song coming from Putrajaya is that Opposition rule will lead to chaos and anarchy is a forgone conclusion.
This fear of ‘military intervention’ is not unfounded. Or rather, this fear of the possible collusion of UMNO and the military is the unspoken fear of many opposition supporters, especially of late when Putrajaya is seen as a mission that can be possibly accomplished.
A recent example of this is when the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) lodged a police report against Perak Opposition Leader Nizar Jamaluddin for saying that Najib met with senior military officials and asked them to do “something” if BN loses the coming general election.
Nizar is reported to have claimed that these “senior military officers refused” to do so, saying “they would side with the people, leading to an argument”.
Let us examine the response of MAF Chief General Zulkefli Mohd Zin, as reported by Bernama: “Of late, some irresponsible quarters with vested political interests have been trying to poison the minds of the people with the aim of eroding public confidence in the MAF and ruling government.”
Now, nowhere in his response does he reaffirm the impartiality of the MAF but instead chose to engage in politics by addressing BN talking points. A proper response to Nizar’s allegations would be a denial and a very public affirmation that the military is apolitical.
It would up to Najib (and the relevant authorities) to address this very serious question of ‘sedition’, and not the MAF through its Police report.
But let us look at it another way. In 2010, Azhar Ibrahim was suspended for six months from the Penang state assembly for making “references to the May 13 incident and inviting the Armed Forces to take over the government”, not to mention his threat that “Malay triad organisation ‘Tiga Line’ would be called in to teach the state government a lesson.”
So, why no report against UMNO assemblyperson? UMNO distanced itself from these inflammatory remarks but my question is, why didn’t MAF Chief General Zulkefli lodge a Police report alleging sedition against UMNO’s Azhar Ibrahim?
Of course, there was a retraction, besides “parliamentary privilege” called into play. However, there was not a word from the general, who seemed more concerned that the reputation of UMNO has been besmirched, rather than that of the MAF that was mentioned in the same breath as a “Malay triad organisation”, not to say anything of the fact that what Azhar was advocating was a military coup d’etat.
Malaysia’s Stockholm syndrome
But this is not the first time the top brass of the MAF has been silent when dragged into the political scene. Whether it is a question of vote-rigging or the sale of arms or the BERSIH demonstration (about which the MAF has no jurisdiction to comment), the powers-that-be in the MAF have been quick to issue statements normally echoing the partisan rhetoric of the ruling BN coalition.
As we have witnessed, UMNO is quick to conjure the ghosts of May 13 and to allude to the fact that the MAF is unquestioning loyal to the government. Sometimes though, principled retried armed forces personnel respond to these provocations, as Lt-Kol (Rtd) Mohd Idris Hassan did when confronted by an UMNO politician who summoned the spectre of May 13 on national television.
In his an opinion piece in The Star in 2008 under the heading ‘Bury the ghost of May 13 once and for all’, Idris wrote:
“I am shocked and saddened that some politicians are still making threatening reference to the May 13 racial riots of 1969. One seasoned politician was on national TV Channel 101 on March 15 making reference to the May 13 racial riots, saying that if the opposition parties continue to fan communal sentiments, another May 13 will happen, adding with a raised index finger, ‘Dan jangan salahkan kami.’ (Then don’t blame us.)”
Idris goes on to describe what he witnessed on May 13, 1969 and suggested a possible solution to all this May 13 provocations: “On that fateful day, I was a young officer serving in the army. I witnessed firsthand the carnage as it unfolded. People were attacked because they were of the wrong race, at the wrong place at the wrong time. Everyone suffered.
“It is thus my fervent hope that our new, revamped government will pass specific laws making it an offence to raise threats of another May 13 racial riots.No one should be allowed to hijack peace and stability in our country.”
Another retired military officer who is quick to respond to provocations from Putrajaya concerning issues involving the military is Major (Rtd) D Swami, whose blog ’7thRangers’ is a veritable treasure trove of military lore.
The Major, who was part of the Malaysian contingent in the UN peacekeeping force in Somalia, is perhaps the foremost chronicler of the roles played by non-Malays in the armed forces.More importantly, Swami’s blog is a testament to the historical, multiracial composition of the MAF and contemporary efforts to downplay the role of minorities in the service.
It would seem that Malaysians, or at least a certain section of the electorate, has been suffering under some kind of Stockholm syndrome when it comes to UMNO and the state’s security apparatus.
Waking up the very real concerns of military involvement in the electoral process has resulted in renewed calls for UMNO political leaders and the Malaysian Armed Forces to unambiguously declare that there will be a peaceful transition of power and that the impartiality of the MAF will remain sacrosanct.
In the concluding part of this piece tomorrow, I will draw upon the writings of a retired General in an attempt to briefly contextualise the problems this ‘fear’ involves and explain why I think, in the current Malaysian political atmosphere, such calls are exercises in futility.
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd), Royal Malaysian Navy and regular contributor to Malaysiakini. I read his articles regularly because he writes with sincerity and passion on issues affecting us all. This is the first time I have chosen to post his article on my blog. My reason for doing so is obvious. The Military is our last hope for peace and stability.–Din Merican
I call on our military affairs expert, Tok Cik, to comment on this article. The duty of our Armed Forces is to defend our country from external enemies who threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, and not to play politics or take sides. I hope our military top brass performs that simple duty.–Din Merican
http://www.nst.com.my –May 24, 2012
NO INTERVENTION: The Malaysian armed forces stay out of politics and respect the rule of law
by Ruhanas Harun, University of Malaya
LAST month, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it had never crossed the PrimeMinister’s mind to use military officers from all three services to secure a Barisan Nasional win in the 13th general election.
He was responding to former Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s statement linking Datuk Seri Najib Razak and senior military officials to the election outcome.
In many developing countries, the military has the propensity to interfere in politics and affairs of government, which are best left to those holding political power.
Before the consolidation of democratic rule, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines were ruled for decades by military regimes. In Myanmar, after nearly five decades in power, the military finally agreed to facilitate the country’s return to democracy.
The crowd in Cairo’s Tahrir Square forced down a regime propped up by the military that had their men in important political positions.In Pakistan, the military did not hide the fact that if and when a civilian government failed, it would step in.
Turkey, another ex-military regime, returned to civilian rule that would conform to European democratic ideals. Still, in many post-military regime countries, the prospect and the fear of a military come-back is never too far away.
Why is Malaysia an exception to this norm? Its military has no tradition of involvement in politics and has never shown interest in acquiring political power, even in times when conditions would have favoured it.
The Malaysian Armed Forces simply believes that it is not their business to get involved in politics. They are more comfortable focusing on the essence of what it has been trained and tasked to do: defend the king and country.
Others say the military’s non-involvement in politics is a legacy inherited from the British. If so, how can one explain active military involvement in politics in some ex-British colonies, such as Uganda, Pakistan and Myanmar?
Malaysia may not be a perfect democracy, but there is a respect for rule of law and constitutionalism in the country that would deter the military from intervening to straighten things up.
Since the end of World War 2, Malaysia has not known war with another country, except for a period from 1963 to 1966 when Indonesia launched its konfrontasi against Malaysia.
While Indonesians may have their own reasons for wanting to erase this event from their collective memory, Malaysia’s preference to forget it may explain its culture of non-glorification of war.
Despite not having to fight wars, Malaysia went through a period of defending itself militarily during the communist insurgency. Here, the military played its role as the defender of the nation’s territorial integrity and security.
But it was also tasked with performing non-military duties, such as building roads, schools, and houses in rural areas, minus political ambition and urge. This tradition continues.
Externally, the armed forces lent its service to other causes and in other aspects. Since its first involvement in the United Nations Peace-keeping Operations in Congo in 1960, Malaysia has sent its troops abroad under similar missions to Somalia, Bosnia, Angola, and Cambodia.
The armed forces is in a privileged position to serve the nation. Its commander-in-chief is the king. Among the values understood in the armed fprces is loyalty. A rebellion or coup against the state, of which the king is the head, would be seen as disloyal to an institution it is tasked to protect and to obey.
In Malaysia, there is a consensus that the military has been and remains under civilian state supervision, exercised through its agents. This may provide a disincentive for the military to look to coups to affect political change.More often than not, it is the civilian political master and the public servant who set the rule, with the military its obedient servant.
In some countries, the military is allocated seats in Parliament. But the Malaysian military does not enjoy such privilege. It can always join politics after leaving the service.
Are there reasons to believe that the military is interested in politics or acquiring political power? The armed forces is aware that its role and position in the nation is best secured by sticking to its core business of defending the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and remaining true to its tradition of non-involvement in politics.
As some jokingly comment, they would rather use their spare time to play golf than indulge in political intrigues.
Since its first involvement in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in Congo in 1960, Malaysia has sent its troops abroad under similar missions to Somalia, Bosnia, Angola and Cambodia.
The armed forces are in a privileged position to serve the nation. Its commander-in-chief is the king. Among the values understood in the armed forces is loyalty.
A rebellion or coup against the state, of which the king is the head, would be seen as disloyal to an institution it is tasked to protect and to obey.
In Malaysia, there is a consensus that the military has been and remains under civilian state supervision, exercised through its agents.This may provide a disincentive for the military to look to coups to affect political change.
More often than not, it is the civilian political master and the public servant who set the rule, with the military its obedient servant.
In some countries, the military is allocated seats in Parliament. But the Malaysian military does not enjoy such privilege. It can always join politics after leaving the service.
Are there reasons to believe that the military is interested in politics or acquiring political power? The armed forces are aware that their role and position in the nation are best secured by sticking to their core business of defending the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and remaining true to their tradition of non-involvement in politics.
As some jokingly comment, they would rather use their spare time to play golf than indulge in political intrigues.
Read more: Military armed with desire to protect democracy – Columnist – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/military-armed-with-desire-to-protect-democracy-1.87066#ixzz2ECgalKuE
Thanks, Din. I know Cdr Thayaparan personally as we had crossed part many times before. He was my drinking partner when I was in Terendak in the late 1970s and still is.
There was this premise in the Armed Forces during those good old days that the military would not stage a coup for intrinsic reasons. Officers of my generation were told to keep politics and religion out of our system and we had stuck to this promise.
However, I can’t say of the present generation of officers. Having being a witness to the May 13 riots of 1969, the involvement of the military then was confined to the Malay battalion stationed at the Sg Besi Camp. Although they did not do a super duper job they did not mess it altogether.
Like what Thaya had said the military top brass holds sway over what will and may happen in the event of a riot. However, I am of the opinion that should the inevitable happen the army, being the majority, will side with the people. It has always being people first before politicians. There’s more to lose than gain if they were to do the opposite. One general will not make much difference. Zulkifli hasn’t what it takes to make it happen.
I suggest that the UMNO don’t have the option of relying on the armed forces as an ultimate fall-back. Najib was defense minister from 1991-2004 but his influence over defense was really only the later years. Zahid Hamidi don’t have that much standing with the military given his short tenure. Meaning that Anwar and PAS has their claws also in the military and in the event of resorting to the military, it would not be easy for any commander to just favour UMNO.. its one thing to use the forces electorally, its quite another to deploy them against citizens..Even in the police, there is limit to UMNO’s influence, the armed forces, much less and in a physical conflict decisiveness and absoluteness is pre-requisite or its pointless.
The truth is I don’t think PR is ready to turn violent in a fraudulent election. PAS is the most likely to take to the streets in civil disobedience only..UMNO/BN cannot deploy the military successfully to solve the problem – NOT against PAS.. Najib especially is a poor commander in chief. Hamidi is a hack. No way they can pull it off..
Thayaparan, being an ex-navy officer, should know very well that the armed forces (MAF) have always been apolitical and serves the King & country but, of course, it has to remain under civilian control that is the government. Our MAF has no history of going against the citizens of Malaysia and its previous dealings in restoring internal security & order were only on requests by the Malaysian Police. The MAF’s role is to defend our national interests against external threats and its involvement with citizens has been limited to positive ends of bringing development to the needy especially the rural folks. There is no need to pull the MAF into the political arena of having to extract from it a declaration of political neutrality which is already a given fact.
When Nizar inappropriately made that uncalled-for allegation involving the MAF, of course, the MAF was expected to react in the proper legal manner that was through lodging a police report. What the government should do as the other party accused by Nizar, was not the business of the MAF. There is no need to prolong this question anymore by casting doubt on the good intention of the MAF.
In the case of Azhar Ibrahim, Thayaparan recognized that “parlimentary privilege” was called into play and that it was followed by a retraction as well as disciplinary action of 6 months suspension from the state assembly. Why must Thayaparn, or others, wish to implicate the MAF in the case when it has been dealt with adequately & properly – to drag the MAF by requiring a similar police report to be lodged can be seen as an intentional effort to cast doubt on the MAF political neutrality as if to show that the MAF is still not satisfied with the disciplinary action already taken on the offender. Ex-MAF personnel should not allow the MAF to be viewed unfairly by the public. Based on its records of neutrality of action in its many forays under the UN flag at international level, the MAF has been well trained and also indoctrinated to observe and respect the need for political neutrality in our domestic politics. It only appears to be “pro-government” because it has to remain under civilian control of the government in being and that does not mean it does not serve the King & country.
The problem is the military top brass, current and past have been deeply involved in all sorts of shenanigans with BN top hats especially in the area of military purchases . The top brass , along with political elites and privileged feudal groups would fight tooth and nail to defend the status quo. Emergency rule could only be decreed with tacit military support and BN is confident of this support (Ace in its sleeve) and hence its silence when posed with questions whether it would allow a peaceful power transition in the event of a PKR victory in the coming GE. Keep on guessing !!
One other notion which I wish to dismiss is the role of the King (Agong). Although by default he is the supreme commander of the armed forces, it’s in name only. He exercises no right over the military in terms of deployment, strategic or tactical, and employment. The right to deploy and employ troops falls squarely is on the shoulders of the ground commanders.
The tri-service chiefs are based at their respective headquarters in Mindef and will, collectively, adhere to the wishes of the minister.
But, as I have said, if the inevitable happens, ground commanders, meaning the division, brigade and battalion commanders insitu will hold sway. If they feel it’s improper to act (on the people they are entrusted to protect) they can disobey such orders. It had happened before.
There is such thing as a lawful and unlawful command. If you disobey an unlawful command you are deemed to have done the right thing. Unlike Indonesia and Thailand where the military is considered part and parcel of the administration, this is not the case here.
At the Indonesian staff college students are taught the principles of dual functions or “dwi-fungsi”. When I was a student there in 1984 we were deployed to Sumatra Barat to play act as administrators of districts and provinces. There are no such lessons at our local staff college.
When the terrorists were still roaming the country we, as students at the local staff college and at the army training schools, were taught the intricacies of “hearts and minds” which are inherent to the subject of KESBAN, acronym for “Keselamatan dan Pembangunan”.
The essence of KESBAN is people-centric. Winning the hearts and minds of the people, something which the great Gen Sir Gerald Templer had imparted to us during his heydays as High Commissioner of Malaya, is paramount. What he did to reform the stubborn residents of Tanjong Malim is well documented in history books. Well, of course not the books written by Umno lah.
I have read articles supported by testimonials written by a Dr Rafik (of Bukit Antarabangsa) in his blog about postal votes and how the military fixed these votes for the ruling party – that is enough for me to cast a wary eye on the military men post-elections….
Hussin, I am not as confident as you are about our military top brass. They have no guts to say no to their political masters. The submarine purchase is a good example.–Din Merican
I don’t agree with Hussin’s analysis but I think the argument that the military already does their political master bidding or also has their hands in corruption is not reason enough to suggest the military will act in force for their political masters.
The reason simply is the military share of the corruption and abuse of power is SMALL compared to the entire activity. Whether it is the corruption or the abuse of power – their political masters take overwhelming size of the cake.
When PR comes to power, they won’t be chasing down every single past corruption – THERE simply is no penal system or judicial system that can withstand that kind of onslaught. PR’s goal is merely to decapitate UMNO-BN, they make them irrelevant – they are just after the political masters not the rest like civil service and other institutions. Why would the military head risks being lumped with UMNO-BN political masters as PR’s targets when most of them are not likely to be?
The top military brass may not say no to their political masters, doesn’t mean they will say yes, right-away. They can always say ‘tidak tahu sir! or “sekejap lagi, sir” and do nothing…
Najib statement he want to make sure the police looking after the public safety.I have no problem for the govertment to abolish ISA but for the police to abolish emergency ordinance act and to release all the criminals from restrict resident were the biggest mistake make by police.They have not done proper study the implication of their move.Certainly i want to say here Hishamuddin is a real dunggu.
The Police top brass since Tun Haniff until TS Musa, most of them have a connection with underworld warlords.I asked one of the Police officers why they need to have relationship with the warlords.He said to facilitate them to get more criminal info from the informer.
Tun Haniff when he was the IGP,he declared total war to all the illegal gambling and most of the gambling bosses were arrested under emergency ordinance.But to the surprise of the senior officers in Police force,immediately after he retired he joined Genting Bhd as Chairman of the Board.
As for Zaid Hamidi, our Minister of Defence promised not to get the Armed forces involved just in case BN loses PutraJaya.I am not sure if he can do that. BTW now mindf are actively involved increasing the postal vote in Parliament and state seats where Pakatan Raayat won with marginal numbers.
Kota Raja state seat is one example.Dr Nasir won in 2008 with 1000 over votes.The postal vote in 2008 only 900. Now the postal vote was increased to 4000. Do you think he can win again?. Same with Parliamentary constituency of Titiwangsa .In 2008 PAS won the seat with only 2000 plus.Postal vote was 500. Now the postal vote was increased to 6000.Do you think PAS can win again?I doubt it.
also Zaid have increased the number of territorial army personnel to almost 100 thousand more.These are sure voters for UMNO-BN. This is what worries Anwar,Hadi and Kit Siang.
It is this simple, every key personal balls are in bn’s pocket. Is a smart move by bn so they are not easily brought down. Hussin you still have yours.
Dato’ Din, when I wrote my first posting above I was referring to the MAF as a whole without any special focus on its top brass. As Tok Cik @2:41pm clarified there are such things as lawful & unlawful orders and only the former are expected to be obeyed.
Also he said there have been previous cases of unlawful orders being disobeyed by the ground commanders – so I wouldn’t be too overly worried about our responsible MAF when their services are needed by the rakyat.
Dato’, I think they have been well trained & indoctrinated to serve the King & country. Thayaparan and his likes are well advised not to shake the confidence of the rakyat in the MAF.
About the submarine purchase, quite naturally and safe to assume, I think the top brass look forward to any new acquisition of modern hardware that will improve the MAF capability especially the submarines which will open a new front of sub-surface operation then lacking in the navy – perhaps also pushed by the reality that the Singapore Navy has 6 refurbished submarines from Sweden. Probably also the MAF has no prior knowledge of the alledged “commissions” or “corruptions” in which certainly the MAF has no shares. I am still confident of our MAF even if there are a few black sheep in its midst – which I am not sure.
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Hussin, I used to be like you years ago. I gave our leaders the benefit of the doubt to the point of being a sycophant. Be they in politics, business or public administration, I accepted their pronouncements at face value. Not any more; I no longer take them at their word because they have let me down. I now judge them by their deeds and actions. You should learn to do the same, and subject them to some sort of credibility test. Don’t be naive like me when I was a young man.
I am sure what the Armed Forces will do when UMNO-BN loses GE-13 elections, no matter how remote that possibility of losing may be. They have not been tested. I don’t have much respect for the present top brass. I respect Gen. Sany, General Mahmood Sulaiman, General Ghazali Seth, General Ghazali Che Mat, and others of my era. They were true blue soldiers of first rank.–Din Merican
Here’s the deal. Whether it be by design or by accident is not the issue. The country has a predominantly Malay civil service, police and military. How did it come to be that way is relevant to the issue of how it would respond to any crisis in public order today.
In developing countries where nation building is the paramount goal of any newly independent government, public order and its territorial integrity, the police and the military become the focus of the national effort to modernize (read: westernize). In countries like Indonesia where the military has had to shed blood to win independence, the military won also legitimacy to govern and leaders were military leaders in mufti. They become both trained soldiers and administrators. This has important ramifications to the style of its administration and to how such leaders see their role in the political future of a nation seeking its rightful place in the community of nations.
In the case of the then Malaya, we won independence on a silver platter in a stadium on one hot lazy afternoon. Our police and military over time were trained in their profession to respect their subservience to civilian leadership. They are well trained professionally, well looked after by the ruling regime which has had political control for some five decades (and counting).
In countries like Indonesia, they earned their legitimacy to govern with the blood they shed. They went on to fill posts in public service but were really soldiers in mufti with clear command and control Wasn’t it a surprise to anyone that a form of Guided Democracy took roots under Army Generals who took to power in Indonesia and three Anglophiles trained as lawyers in England came home to lead the nation as its first three Prime Minister before a locally trained peddler in antibiotics with a license moved this nation on to a new political trajectory?
The argument that Malaysia’s civil service, police and military are by design almost exclusively Malay (and indigenous) for political reasons to maintain the ‘nativeness’ of the new administration is flawed because of the commonly acknowledged preference of immigrants for more lucrative professions in the private business sector as opposed to the public sector. The speculation is could the idea – that a predominantly Malay police and military act as a bulwark against attempts to wrest control by foreign elements (we were fighting the Emergency) – over time becomes fused and blurred by another idea that it works to safeguard Malay political domination. Fused or blurred, it certainly has gained traction in recent times when race once again becomes a major political factor.
In short, can we count on our police and military to be neutral observers, or even innocent bystanders given the divisiveness of politics today? We need only to look at what happened during the race riots of 1969 when the bloghost was a young post grad student in D.C. being chased by Puerto Rican girls who thought he was Mexican and yours truly an undergrad at the only university in town and a weekend solider armed with an SLR and a full magazine learning to shoot at unmoving targets in Rawang (and missing all). The Royal Malay (RMR) has had to be pulled back out of riot torn Kuala Lumpur. The units involved were a little too trigger happy and bodies that piled up at the University Hospital mortuary had more bullet wounds than slash wounds.
Genral Tok Cik was busy earning his stripes in ’69 and was waiting with his unit to move out of Kubu Bahru but never did which haunted him to this day Semper fi was in Batu Cantonment, Jalan Ipoh planning a break-out to do his bit for King and country..
If the same thing were to happen today folks, it is likely to be a deja vu. Like I always say, CNN can now predict a loser – and the losers are all who put their trust in the unalienable rights to equality, liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness.
Nobody can guarantee your happiness, folks. What can be guaranteed is the pursuit of happiness.
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I am not sure that even “the pursuit of happiness” can be guaranteed.Our constitution is a worthless document, given an all powerful executive branch. Kapish!.–Din Merican
“I am of the opinion that should the inevitable happen the army, being the majority, will side with the people” — Gen (Rtd) Tok Cik
Tok Cik is a real army general in real life, folks. He has been a professional soldier and an outstanding one, all his working years doing his bit for King and country in the jungles of Sabah and Sarawak. He has his wounds to prove it – some inflicted by native Iban gals he fought to protect. It was during those good ol’ days as he refers to those years he spent in His Majesty’s Service that he learned the nation’s true enemies. It was also during those years that he developed a taste for everything local. His taste for the ‘long cool dame” gave way to ‘tuak’ – a native brew.
Today the people’s General is apparently overcome by optimism for the future of what could have been a great nation. Again CNN is ready to predict the winner in Malaysia’s GE-13 — and it is not Tok Cik. Not the people.
Listen up those among you who are dreamers from the Opposition. The Police and the Military are too well looked after, too well cared for to risk all for some set of political ideals. Furthermore, why change drivers when you are being chauffeured around in a Bentley??
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The Police and Army top brass only use Volvo and Proton Perdana. Only UMNO fat cats drive Porshes, Ferrari, BMWs, Mercedes Benz, Lexus and Bentley and what not. You and I ride kereta lembu or are on the back of Sami Tean’s Kerbau in Bakaq Bata.–Din Merican
I am not sure that even “the pursuit of happiness” can be guaranteed.Our constitution is a worthless document, given an all powerful executive branch. Kapish!.–Din Merican
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Calm down, Puerto Rican gals prefer tall, dark and handsome to pale and white wussies.
By that I mean nobody as in nobody can guarantee happiness. What can be guaranteed, conceptually speaking, is its pursuit (of happiness). UMNO leaders work to guarantee the pursuit of happiness of those who kiss their asses – those like Budak UMNO, Hussin, Hasan and Veteran. Goolbatok has other ideas.
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You should give these guys for some credit for their willingness to speak up for UMNO like those who support Pakatan Rakyat on this blog. By all means disagree with them. Goolbuttock and Gertak Singh too are entitled to express their views.–Din Merican
Dato’,
Yes I have my views. What has Puerto Rican girls to do with the MAF? The MAF has an outstanding record of service to our King and country and I am proud of them. With their tradition of staying in their barracks unless ordered by the King to protect our country, they will do anything to foolish.
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Mr Bean will answer you since he raised the subject.–Din Merican
While you guys are ejaculating er.., speculating prematurely, i would agree with Tok Cik’s assessment of ground commanders. I think no one can tell for sure what happens, until it happens. What i know is that each serviceman is beholden to his own service. That goes for the civil service as well as the police and the MAF.
One thing is for sure, the military may not be as ‘compliant’ as many Establishment hacks would have us believe. Thus the scaremongering.
Learning from history:
Under the Marcos kleptocratic regime, pro-Marcos military officers were promoted
(even if they were incompetent) over the heads of more qualified & more professional officers. A notorious example being Fabian Ver.
This politicisation and favouritism just destroyed morale and made the Philippine armed forces ineffective in its counter-insurgency field operations.
Getting the armed forces involved in politics is opening Pandora’s box.
Those civilian leaders who do so may live to regret it (or even die in deep regret! e.g. military coup leaders executing civilian political leaders for corruption — an example being Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe executing President William Tolbert of Liberia for corruption after the former’s coup)
OK, Dato’ Din thanks for your advice. We’ll agree to disagree about the MAF’s attitude and likely actions towards the results of the GE13.
Following Tok Cik (2:41 pm) and CLF (10:07 pm) perhaps it is not too spejaculative to ask whose who are the ground commanders in and around the Klang Valley and who are most likely to do what during the worst case scenario of an inconclusive or highly disputable GE 13?
My apology in advance if this is an overtly provocative poser?
Cdr(R) Thayaparan being an ex-Naval officer, must realised that all Officers and men of the Armed Forces have a duty to King & Country, in defending the nation against any foreign forces threatening the sovereignty of our country…Field and ground Comanders aren’t foolish enough to disobey orders unnecessarily in any eventualities that may occurred as suggested by Tok Cik. The top brass are professional enough to remain neutral if it need be to ensure smooth transition of power if any, which I doubt will happen in the coming GE13.
However I disagree with Dato’ Din that the top brass in the Navy has no guts to say no to their political masters…Cdr(R) Thayaparan should know better if the Navy officers hasn’t got the guts, as he’d enough experiences serving on board RMN warships.
To my knowledge the process of purchasing the Scorpene submarines involved tedious and lengthy procedures solely done by the Navy focusing on detailed technical, weaponry and sea-worthiness specifications, spanning over many years on selected submarines types and class from many countries. However the tenders and contract procedures didn’t involve the Navy, as that’s the job of Mindef Procurement headed by the Treasury KSU and civilian top brass in the final stage.
Lim Guan Eng experience onboard the Scorpene as she dived with him in Langkawi at previous LIMA, and later appeared ‘stunned’ as he praised the sub diving capabilities and the crew professional skills is testimonials to the fighting capabilities and sea-worthiness of the submarine, despite the unending saga of attack and ridicule especially by the oppositions and NGOs with vested interest.
“Dato’, yes I have my view” — Gertak Singh
Gertak Singh has only the back view. Same view as Goolbatok’s. We need more balanced views..
Our Armed Forces are too well trained, know their role, too well looked after. too well indoctrinated to show anything but their subservience to civilian leadership.. A tradition has grown over the years examplified by none other than an uncle of mine who was the first Malaysian Armed Forces Chief of Staff who sat on the Operations Council as another member along with civilian leaders helping to stabilize a nation torn by race riots in ’69. There was talk that he was offered a stronger role then but had declined. Like Gen Tok Cik, Gen. Tunku Osman Jewa was a professional soldier – and like all old soidiers, they never die. They fade away (into the sunset)..
Gen Tok Cik (retired) is caught in a Catch-22. He doesn’t have the kerbau he would need to take that final ride into the sunset. Instead like a crouching tiger he lies in wait for cowgirl Shahrizat in the back seat of his aging Cooper S — for one last ride..
Bean, I felt flattered by your praises. Hope it’s not the after effect of Super storm Sandy that flatten New York recently.
We like to say good and bad things about the orang lama in the service. I used to say the same back then. Now I am on the receiving end. That’s okay lah.
Your uncle was the Armed Forces Chief when I was a young subaltern. He was a noted disciplinarian when he was CO 1 RMR. Years later his son, the late Tunku Aziz, became CO of the same outfit. It was no coincident, Tunku Aziz was groomed to fill the top spot in the armed forces but fate was to deal him a big blow when the helicopter he was in, along with several senior officers including Maj-Gen Mustapaha Awang, went down over the waters off Lundu in 1989.
I was atop Gunong Bintang when the incident happened. Luckily, my posting to Sarawak was withheld due to operational needs in Peninsular Malaysia. Otherwise, I would be on the ill-fated chopper too.
As for my Cooper S, it has no place for Sharizat any more. The cowgirl is happy with some other bulls in Lembah Pantai. Good on her.
Talking about ground commanders; I speak for myself, as I was a ground commander not once but a few times. I had disobeyed orders before not because I wanted to but I felt it was the right thing to do. It affects your conscience. I got reprimanded, of course. However, when my superiors realised their mistakes they let me off the hook. Hope that answers coxswain’s doubt.
” …. when the helicopter he was in, along with several senior officers including Maj-Gen Mustapaha Awang, went down over the waters off Lundu in 1989.” — Gen. Tok Cik
Maj Gen Mustapha? Yeah. Remember that one. In ’87/88 ? Definitiely not ’89. I was in the U.K. when it happened. A family friend of my late father-in-law. A pic of him in uniform standing with glass in hand with other visitng ,members of the Indonesian military brass still adorns the hallway of my in-laws’s home.
Tok Cik, If not mistaken the famed commando Gen. Hasbullah “Bond” was also among the list of causalities on that ill-fated chopper…Al-Fatihah to all of them. They were indeed amongst the most combatant Generals and the cream of military officers in those days.
Ruhanas Harun – very commendable ( but perhaps repetitive and overly lengthy) comments on the apolitical traditions and non-partisan stance of the MAF. But the point being made here is, it would have been more meaningful and reassuring, if the Chief of The MAF had come out unequivocally with such declarations when the occasion warrants it.
The late Tunku Aziz & his uncle retired Colonel Tunku Nazrin, Army Engineers, were once my good neighbours. Al Fathihah.
It was in December 1989, Bean. I knew it as it almost coincided with the signing of the Armistice by Chen Peng, Gen “Freddy” Hashim and the IGP in Songkhala.
Yeah, Brig-Gen Hasbullah “Bond”, the commando, was among the casualties. Cigar-chomping Mustapha Awang, a Sandhurst-trained officer, was the division commander then. Very articulate, spoke and wrote immaculate English, Mustapha was a high-flyer. But fate was never on his side and so was a number of my close friends, Tunku Aziz included. Al-Fatihah.
Thanks for the reminder, pak teh and hussin.
Cheers.
Tunku Aziz Tunku Nong Jewa?
Three of my classmates suffered violent deaths while at the controls of their aircraft – two helicopters (Gong Kedak and Genting Highlands) and a jet while flying over the South China Sea whose body was never recovered. Lucky to see retirement were Hushainy and Aminuddin – both retired as Maj Generals.
An uncle Tunku Ahmad Nerang Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj retired a captain in the Army, went into the timber business (Mahawangsa Holdings) in the ’70s, married my cousin (uncle marrying cousin, whose niece later married Raja Nazrin) dumped her for his Chinese legal advisor. There you go.
Just out of curiosity Tok Cik.Do you recognised this RMR officer Lt Kol(R) Sabaruddin Sulaiman (last post as CO 2 RMR Terendak ) whose younger brother is Maj Gen(R) Dato’ Dahalan Sulaiman the former Army Logistic Chief of Staff??…Both are my distant cousins, and Kol Sabaruddin past away in 2010 at age 78…Al-Fatihah. He was an avid golfer, won numerous tournament, and a life member at the Subang Golf & Country Club.
Dear Mr Bean,when Raja Nazrin and his Late Brother Raja Ashman ( my fav ) was in their teens( when their dad was the CJ ),they use to frequent my house,it’s just my luck for I have 4 lovely2 sisters,Nazrin’s legal advisor is that Singaporean girl,isn’t it??
Well to Tok Cik, I hope you know my late uncle Major Tengku Zaid Bin Tengku Anmad Panglima of Kelantan ( my grand father )some friends say,if he was still around in Parliament, Mahathir couldn’t have got away with shit,my uncle would have screwed him proper,alas he passed away too soon and he has taught me many things, Ayah Musa is related to my Grand Mother ( Johorean ) and Tengku Li is from my Grand Father’s side., and Mr Bean,Tengku Ahmad Nerang’s son Tengku Muin is mine and my sister’s good friend too,it’s a small world really ( as far as Malaysian Malays are concern ),Tok Cik, I use to call Gen Hasbullah, Uncle Bond,coz he’s always with Almarhum DYMM Sultan Mahmood Iskandar, Kebawah Duli’s favourite,the TDM lost a very2 good officer in him,and I guess you’d know the late Col Wan Hamzah (Intelligence),my close and dear friend,no Oouch!!! this time coz am not perliing anybody.
pak teh and Lok 1,
I know all the gentlemen you mentioned. Col Sabaruddin, an avid golfer, was ADC to the present Agong in the early 1970′s. I used to date his younger sister and had to get his blessing before taking her out. His brother, BG Dahlan was my boss when I was a staff at Army Logistics (Equipment), Mindef in 1986. Only now I know that Sabaruddin had passed away. Thanks, pak teh.
Knew Maj Tengku Zaid as he was an instructor once at the army training school in P Dickson. I had the opportunity to interact with him on an informal basis as he was married (second bride) to a distant relative.
Dollah Bond was a gifted hockey player and had represented the armed forces while in his prime. Had some interesting moments on the hockey pitch when he was instructing at the army training centre in Ulu Tiram, Johore. He was very robust on the field and would give the opposing team a hard time. I ran into him many times on the pitch.
Coincidentally, Mustapha Awang was the commandant of the training centre while Bond was his deputy. That was in 1979.
As for Col Wan Hamzah, I won’t say much as we had done some pretty silly things together in the early 1970′s. Time Tunnel and Hilton’s Tin Mine were our hangouts then. He had passed away too? That’s news to me. Al Fatihah.
Wow! You guys really had me reflecting on the good old days. Thanks so much.