Defence White Paper to review role of army

A White Paper on defence to be tabled in Parliament in October will among others discuss the actual roles of the Malaysian army to avoid sending soldiers who are not trained to fight crimes, said army chief Ahmad Hasbullah Mohd Nawawi.

He said army personnel do not have the authority and are not trained to eradicate crimes as it is under the authority and responsibility of the Royal Malaysia Police.

“The duty of the army is to protect the sovereignty of the country from external threats and we are always on full alert.

“Apart from that, the army's top leadership is reviewing strategies in terms of post guard at operation areas at the country's border,” he said.

Ahmad Hasbullah said officers and men have to be rotated from one location to another in operation to ensure they are in control, and be more alert as well as have better mobility in their operation.

The White Paper will provide clearer information on the role of each agency, organisation and the people in effort to ensure peace in the country.

Earlier, the Malaysian armed forces chief Zulkifli Zainal Abidin said with the White Paper, all parties including the army, police and other related agencies would have clear guidelines on their respective duties and roles.

In March, Mahathir when launching the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2019 (LIMA’19) said that the defence white paper is an important contribution to Malaysia's defence landscape.

Earlier, Ahmad Hasbullah performed Aidilfitri prayer with army personnel at Kem Sri Banding near here. Today Bernama joined the armed forces chief's delegation in a Nuri helicopter to visit Kem Gubir in Sik, Kedah.

The operation base is the location of the 6th Battalion Royal Ranger Rgiment. The visit began with the presentation of Raya packages by Ahmad Hasbullah to all personnel on duty at the camp.

Yesterday, Ahmad Hasbullah visited two operation areas around Gerik, which is at Pos Pengkalan Hadapan November which has 29 personnel and Pos Pengkalan Hadapan Kenarong involving 25 members of the Second Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment.

- Bernama