RMC applications 80pct higher despite bullying claims, says ministry

Summary

• Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari says the prestigious Royal Military College (RMC) has received 80 percent more applications this year compared to the last despite claims of rampant bullying.

• He says this shows the public’s confidence in RMC remains high.

PARLIAMENT | Applications for the Royal Military College (RMC) in Kuala Lumpur surged this year despite claims of rampant bullying, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari told the Dewan Rakyat today.

RMC received 3,990 applications this year, an 80 percent increase from 2,200 applications in 2024, he said.

“We know that actually, the confidence people have towards the RMC is quite high,” he said, adding that the college only admits 260 students each year.

He was responding to PAS’ Dr Halimah Ali (PN-Kapar), who asked if the RMC considers a student’s characteristics when deciding on applications.

Last month, Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin emphasised his ministry’s stance against all forms of abuse at its training and academic facilities in response to reports of rampant bullying at the college.

The Defence Ministry has been plagued by controversy due to a series of abuse and torture incidents at its prestigious RMC, where armed forces cadets undergo basic military courses while pursuing tertiary education at the National Defence University, otherwise known as UPNM.

One of the most infamous cases was the murder of navy cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain in 2017.

Meanwhile, Adly said that the RMC considers all aspects of applicants, including education, background, co-curricular record, attitude, and capabilities.

“That’s why sometimes when we look at issues involving discipline in the state of our education system today, in terms of background, they (students) are quite good but the influence of friends may change their attitude and the like. 

“But our job at the RMC and armed forces, as I mentioned earlier, our basic core is to ensure that these students have high discipline as they are the future of our military system and civil service system, not to mention our country’s leaders in the future,” he added.

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