Khaled: Prosecuting corrupt officers 'not enough' to cleanse armed forces

PARLIAMENT | Putrajaya has acknowledged that efforts to weed out and prosecute corrupt members of its defence forces must be accompanied by long-term measures, amid a slew of high-profile graft and abuse of power cases involving the armed forces.

Defence Minister Khaled Nordin affirmed that the government is prioritising moves to restore the rakyat’s trust in the armed forces, including by enhancing the integrity of its personnel and addressing governance gaps.

“Identifying and prosecuting those involved (in alleged misdeeds) is far from sufficient. It will in no way render the ministry pure and clean,” he said during a ministerial briefing session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

“God willing, it will not stop there. The Defence Ministry will continue to explore further initiatives and opportunities to strengthen the credibility of the ministry and the armed forces.”

The minister also referenced the charges against former army chief Hafizuddeain Jantan and former armed forces chief Nizam Jaffar, noting that there is a possibility of “further charges to come”.

Lamenting how such issues also affect the image and standing of the nation, Khaled acknowledged that when the armed forces’ credibility and integrity are questioned, the rakyat have a right to be concerned and demand explanations as well as firm action.

“As the defence minister, I am not hiding or denying what is happening.

“Allow me to clearly and unequivocally state the ministry’s position: corruption, abuse of power, and lapses in integrity are despicable, vile, and immoral acts that are fundamentally contrary to the true values, conduct, and culture of the ministry,” he stressed.

Highlighting that such “corrupt elements” betray the “moral purpose” of a sovereign nation’s armed forces, Khaled said any criminal act should not be regarded merely as administrative misconduct, as they are a serious threat to national security.

“This country will be destroyed and paralysed if the enemies of the armed forces come from within. The armed forces know how to confront military attacks. They are trained to fight and to wage war.

“But, if those entrusted to fight can be bought, bribed, and controlled by greedy capital interests, we will undoubtedly be defeated before a battle even begins,” the minister added.

Only a few bad apples

Despite the scandals, Khaled assured that the national defence system remains intact, fully functional, and “in no way affected”, emphasising that there have been no disruptions to national defence operations.

As such, in urging lawmakers to be reasonable in their criticism of the armed forces, he argued that issues involving several officers should not be used to justify “punishing” the entire armed forces as a corrupt institution without integrity.

“Yes, it is not 100 percent perfect, and there is certainly room for improvement, (but) the existence of corrupt elements among a small number of personnel does not mean the entire system is rotten and has failed.

“The actions of a few irresponsible individuals do not represent the entire armed forces. Corruption and wrongdoing are not synonymous with the armed forces or the national defence system,” he asserted.

Two former chiefs in the dock

On Jan 23, Hafizuddeain claimed trial to two counts of receiving proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to RM145,000 at the Shah Alam Sessions Court.

The day before, at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court, he pleaded not guilty to four charges of receiving more than RM2.12 million in proceeds from unlawful activities.

In the same week, Nizam was also charged with four counts of abusing his position and receiving RM752,481.90, as well as criminal breach of trust involving RM3 million.

The probes came after Port Dickson Bersatu chief Badrul Hisham Shaharin alleged that a forensic review of documents he received anonymously showed monthly transactions amounting to tens of thousands of ringgit credited into the accounts of a senior army officer and his family members.

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