Former defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein's excuse for keeping three military special forces officers in his employ is baseless, Amanah Youth deputy chief Faiz Fadzil said today.

"Hishamuddin's action of asking officers under the Defence Ministry... to continue working with him can be considered an abuse of power because they are still working for and paid by the military.

"His excuse that they were asked to resign immediately does not hold water, because he should have ensured that whoever is working for him has no connections with the government or the military," he said in a statement. 

Sources had told Malaysiakini yesterday that the three military special forces officers on active duty – two with the Navy's special operation forces (Paskal) and one commando – are still serving Hishammuddin as personal escorts.

Hishammuddin later tweeted in response that the arrangement is only temporary, and that he has offered them jobs on the condition that they quit the Armed Forces.

In his statement, Faiz also pointed out that there is no provision for a military officer to resign within 24 hours, adding that it did not make sense for the former defence minister to have no knowledge of this.

"Instead, he gave contradicting excuses about how their service with him is only temporary while they are still working for the military.

"This action clearly goes against the existing rules, including the Armed Forces Act 1972.

"As such, Amanah Youth fully supports Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu call for an investigation into the matter, and we also urge the authorities to also investigate Hishammuddin," he said. 

Mohamad said yesterday that he had ordered a probe into the matter, and that appropriate action would be taken if the trio were found to have breached any regulations.

According to Faiz, this probe is important because it will ensure that all officers remain loyal to the new democratically-elected government.