KUALA LUMPUR: The spread of internal and confidential matters related to the Malaysian Armed Forces can lead to national security issues, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said that such leaks have not been confirmed but were spread via social media.
He was speaking at a press conference at the "Satu Anggota, Satu Rumah" (Sasar) housing project key handover ceremony on Monday (Jan 19)
“The decision of any appointments must be discussed by the Armed Forces Council but their responsibility is to only suggest names. There will be two or three names and it’s not just one name put forward but the leak is as if the decision has been confirmed.
“The Ministry has made a complaint to the police and have urged that an investigation be conducted,” he said.
He added that it was not the practice of the Armed Forces to disclose the exact posting and location of the posting of their leadership as it could lead to national security issues.
“We never tell the public because we have enemies as well and all Armed Forces monitor each other’s postings.
“For example we would be interested in knowing who is involved in the ground deployment at the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. At the same time, other nations would also would like to know, such as who is the military officer in charge in Gemas, or in Kuantan.
On Sunday (Jan 18), the Armed Forces said that it was investigating the spread of “internal and confidential” matters.
“The Ministry also stresses that such actions, including the circulation of a list of names of senior Armed Forces officers, constitute clear misconduct that challenges the credibility of the national defence management system.
"Pre-empting official processes not only opens the door to negative perceptions, but may also affect officers’ morale and disrupt the chain of command within the ATM.
“The Ministry will not hesitate to take legal action against any party found to be involved in disseminating classified government information under the Official Secrets Act 1972, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, the Armed Forces Act 1972, or the Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993, arising from the spread of internal government information on social media platforms,” it said then.
