It’s important to portray image of calm and stability

THE recent decision by the government for armed forces personnel to support and beef up the police in manning road blocks and enforcing the movement control order (MCO) is causing anxiety and distress among the civilian population.

Dressed in battle fatigues and armed with assault rifles, the soldiers invoke memories of martial law and war among the older folk. For the young, more recent imagery of military coups and ethnic cleansing in nearby countries come to mind.