KUALA LUMPUR: Parties involved in the procurement of military assets and the construction of military facilities will be rotated every three years to prevent misconduct, including corruption, says Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
Without providing further details, he said those involved in military asset procurement would not remain in their positions for long to ensure that the procurement process was free from corruption and abuse of power.
He said this measure aligned with the advice of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, who urged the government to improve integrity in military asset procurement, Bernama reported.“The important thing is that we follow the government’s recommendation to rotate those in positions that determine military asset specifications.
“This ensures that no one stays in the position for too long. This means that every three years there will be transfers, and we will implement it,” he said.
Mohamed Khaled told reporters this after attending the launch of the ministry’s Fly the Jalur Gemilang programme in conjunction with the National Month celebration here on Monday.
He said the Finance Ministry’s approved budget served as the foundation for the ministry’s determination of the necessary asset types.
“There are no specific details, and we follow what the Finance Ministry approves before we identify what we need.
“I believe we have various types of procurements. As the supreme commander, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim indeed has access to what we do (in procurement). So, we always cooperate with His Majesty,” he said.
On Saturday, Sultan Ibrahim said the country’s sovereignty and dignity would be compromised if military officers were involved in corruption and abuse of power.
Sultan Ibrahim emphasised that, as the supreme commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM), His Majesty would not tolerate any ATM officers who engaged in corruption, abused their power or failed to perform their duties as military officers.
