LETTERS: SEPT 16, 2022, marks the 89th year of the establishment of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF).

From humble beginnings with just a handful of men for the newly minted Malay Regiment in 1933, it has grown to become a military force to be reckoned with in the region. In terms of experience, it went through World War 2 in Malaya, the Emergency Period not once but twice, and the Indonesia-Malaysia Konfrontasi in between the two emergencies.

Our armed forces contributed to many United Nations peacekeeping efforts around the world. That truly recognises the capabilities and competence of the MAF.

Since the formation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963, the responsibility of the MAF has become more significant.  

Any military strategist would argue that defending a country geographically divided into two — in our case, Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak and Sabah in the island of Borneo — is tough.

Nonetheless, the men and women of the MAF take on the responsibility with pride and honour. Obviously, the MAF is nothing without its dedicated men and women, including veterans who have risked their lives for our beloved nation.

In the millennium, the roles of the MAF have been expanded to include non-traditional security issues. Natural or man-made disasters are a security challenge that require the MAF to assist other local agencies.

During the Movement Control Order, the MAF deployed its personnel to maintain public order and offer medical assistance to Covid-19 patients.

The Defence White Paper (DWP) released in 2020 explains at length the way forward for the next 10 years for the MAF in meeting challenges from traditional, non-traditional, internal and external threats.

The paper also stresses sustainable capability development for the Malaysian Defence Industry and further highlights Civil-Military Cooperation which requires the MAF to work hand-in-hand with civil servants in several avenues.

In tandem, the MAF continues to propagate its strategic 4th Dimension MAF plan to propel this organisation to face the ever-changing and evolving adversaries in the future of military technologies composition.

Recently, the MAF drew unwarranted publicity from the public on its procurement and maintenance of strategic assets. The public has the right to question, comment, criticise and perhaps be cynical towards the MAF, especially in the age of social media and keyboard warriors.

The MAF needs to treat this situation as an opportunity to get closer to the public by being more transparent about its procurement exercises and future plans.

In doing so, it will enhance the inclusivity of the people in defence matters and make Keluarga Malaysia more meaningful. The public, too, must put their trust in the MAF.

No matter how cynical the public wishes to be about the MAF, at the end of the day, these men and women are safeguarding our air, land and maritime borders. Make no mistake, each and every one of them wants to ensure that all of us are safe, especially when they are on duty.

In 11 years, the MAF will reach its centennial period; This is not far away in the distant future and is within the effective period of the DWP.

The junior top brass and perhaps 60 to 70 per cent of the current MAF personnel will still be in service.

To sustain and enhance their capabilities will forever remain a challenge.

One thing is for certain, the MAF must ensure that its professionalism is not compromised by anyone.

The MAF should also ask itself what brand and appearance it wishes to be seen by Malaysians in 2033. In Chinese numerology, 8 means prosper and 9 means long-lasting.

Happy Malaysian Armed Forces Day.

MALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OF DEFENCE AND SECURITY

Kuala Lumpur

https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters/2022/09/831672/ensuring-safety-all-malaysians