The Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) considers any insinuations or insults against the royal institutions to be an attempt to weaken the military itself, said armed forces chief Zulkifeli Mohd Zin.

He said the royal institutions are sacred and should be defended. In addition, the sultans serve as colonel-in-chief or captain-in-chief in various military units, while the Agong is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Some regiments and corps are also given the royal colours, he said, which the military is duty-bound to defend as a symbol of its loyalty to the rulers.

“Therefore no matter what happens, members of the armed forces will defend the sanctity of those colours (flags), which means we would defend the sanctity of the Malay Rulers.

“If there are any insinuations or insults against the Malay Rulers, the ATM considers it as an attempt to weaken the armed forces itself.

“Therefore, members of the armed forces would never take insults against the Malay Rulers lightly,” he told reporters today.

Zulkifeli ( left ) said this at a press conference today when asked to comment on the persons who are questioning the Selangor sultan’s decisions in relation to the ongoing menteri besar crisis to the extent of belittling them.

To the same question, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the royal institutions are considered ‘pillars of the nation-building’ alongside with religion, and the federal constitution.

He said he believes that the Defence Ministry and ATM are not carrying out their responsibilities if these pillars are being belittled, whether it is in context of religion, royalty or race relations.