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 Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
Without providing further details, the Defence Minister stated that those involved in military asset procurement will not remain in their positions for long to ensure the process is free from corruption and abuse of power.
He said this measure aligns with the advice of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, who urged the government to improve integrity in military asset procurement.
“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 2024 National Month celebration in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (Aug 19).
Mohamed Khaled said the ministry relies on the budget approved by the Finance Ministry before determining the type of assets required.
“There are no specific details, and we follow what the Finance Ministry approves before we know 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 (Aug 18), 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 will not tolerate any officers who practise corruption, abuse power, or fail to carry out their duties as military officers. – Bernama
