All smiles: Mohamed Khaled (second from left) at the key handover ceremony of the Sasar housing project in Kuala Lumpur. — LOW BOON TAT/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Postings of senior and high-ranking military officers, especially to military bases, must be kept away from the public eye to avoid national security issues, says the Defence Ministry.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, at a press conference at the “Satu Anggota, Satu Rumah” (Sasar) housing project key handover ceremony here yesterday, was responding to an alleged leak of the postings.
“The Armed Forces Council must discuss the decision of any appointments, but their responsibility is only to suggest names. There will be two or three names, and it’s not just one that is put forward.
“The leak suggests the decision has already been made and confirmed. The ministry has made a complaint to the police and has urged that an investigation be conducted,” he said.
Mohamed Khaled added that it was not the practice of the Armed Forces to disclose the exact postings and locations of their leadership, as this could raise national security concerns.
“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 in the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. At the same time, other nations would also like to know the military officer in charge in places such as Gemas or Kuantan,” he said.
On Sunday, the Armed Forces said it was investigating the spread of “internal and confidential” matters.
On the National Service Training Programme, Mohamed Khaled said intakes are expected to increase to around 100,000 a year, with the addition of higher education institutions (IPTs) for training.
“For IPTs, they will start this year, especially at the Sultan Idris Education University and at other polytechnics involving 6,000 intakes.
“So this year’s total is around 10,000 for all intakes, but next year it will increase to around 100,000. We are looking at a minimum of 100,000 intakes a year with around 25,000 being trained at the territorial army camps and the rest at the IPTs,” he said.
On the Sasar housing project, he said areas formerly used for firing ranges have been identified for housing development.
Mohamed Khaled explained that many of these lands were surrounded by public housing developments, which have made them unsuitable for firing ranges.
“Rather than allowing land owned by the Armed Forces to fall into the hands of others, it is more appropriate for us to convert it into housing projects so that more personnel have the opportunity to buy homes,” he said.
“The house prices under this project are all offered at affordable rates of around RM150,000 to RM250,000, far cheaper than market prices. Without this intervention, it would be impossible for our personnel to have the opportunity to buy a home,” Mohamed Khaled said.
